The Cleansing
by demonman21
Summary: Set after the Episode, "Sam I am". All hell breaks loose, read how.
1. Part 1

Cleansing Part 1  
  
(This is a story I never posted. It is separate from my current series, and is sort of an apology for not posting in a more timely fashion. Anyway, please read and comment. Oh, and thanks again to Nightcrawler, who changed the ending and made it much better than mine.)  
  
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.  
  
"You can't vanquish me. No one can."  
  
Those words echoed within Phoebe's mind, as fear and anger swelled and bashed against the waves of her psyche. What was she going to do? Phoebe knew beyond a doubt that she and Cole were over. She no longer felt any love, any hesitation when she considered his death. However, she also knew that Cole had not accepted that fact, and would continue to pursue her.  
  
"Pheebs?" a voice said from the doorway. Phoebe looked up to see Piper and Paige standing outside, looking at her anxiously.  
  
Phoebe sighed, and then said, "Come on in."  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" Paige asked as she and Piper sat down next to Phoebe.  
  
"What is there to say? I have someone obsessed with me who I cannot escape. I can't kill him, and we can't contain him. He will keep coming, and I know sooner or later one of us is going to die," Phoebe commented sadly.  
  
"Don't say that," Piper interjected, "There has to be a way to vanquish him. We will find it, I swear, and once we do..."  
  
"Everything will go back to normal," Phoebe interrupted. "Cole is an evil bastard, and he always has been. I just am sorry it took me so long to realize it. I am finally over him, and I have realized that he is just another demon pure and simple. One who can kill us whenever he wants, one from which we have no defense."  
  
"You can't give up, Phoebe," Paige said quietly. "We have Leo asking the Elders for help. Now, why don't we take another look at the Book of Shadows? There has to be something we've missed."  
  
There isn't Phoebe thought, but she forced a smile onto her face and said, "You're right, let's go look."  
  
****  
  
"I WON'T BE EVIL!" Cole shouted. His clutched his head and tried desperately to quell the voice murmuring inside his, the voice that sounded so much like his own.  
  
'Face if Cole, you are evil. You will always be evil. You can fight it however much you want, but sooner of later, you will accept your fate. Why not spare yourself the time?' the voice spoke reasonably. 'You have no one who loves you, no one who accepts you. You are alone, and you have nothing to fight for.'  
  
"Phoebe, I have Phoebe, Phoebe loves me," Cole said.  
  
'Phoebe hates you, and will never be back with you,' the voice continued. 'She and her sisters are doing everything in their power to destroy you. Phoebe no longer loves you.'  
  
"You're wrong, Phoebe does love me. We are soulmates, and we are destined to be together forever." Cole practically begged, "She just is afraid to admit it, afraid of more pain."  
  
'You're deluding yourself,' the voice retorted.  
  
"No, Phoebe DOES love me," Cole said. As the voice continued to batter him, Cole stood within his mind on that one fact, that one anchor left to him. 'Phoebe loves me. She has to love me. Otherwise all the pain and torment I suffered were for nothing.'  
  
"I'll show you she does," Cole muttered, and shimmered out.  
  
****  
  
"Master, are you sure this will work?" Nisan asked.  
  
"Of course it will," Damon replied. "Cole's mind is fragile, and near the breaking point. He can't take much more rejection and pain. All I have to do is a give him a few more pushes, a few more comments, and he will be no threat. Once Cole is gone, nothing will stop me from cleansing the world."  
  
"What about the witch? Won't she give him the support he needs to stay together?" Nisan commented.  
  
Damon laughed, "Oh, my servant, you just don't get it. Cole's condition is caused by the witch. What she has done to him is an evil I could never even imagine doing. She turned one of the most powerful demons in the history of evil into a shambling wreck. She twisted all his beliefs, and made him afraid of what he was. Then, she shattered all his hopes, and utterly ruined him. I could never have dreamed of this if not for her. Phoebe Halliwell will doom the world."  
  
****  
  
"What about some sort of containment spell?" Piper asked.  
  
"That won't work. Cole can shimmer out of anywhere he doesn't want to be, and come back here faster than we could get rid of him," Phoebe replied. "Face it, Cole can't be stopped."  
  
"You'd think he'd take a hint," Paige commented. "I mean, you've done everything but beat him over the head that you don't love him, and don't want him. Why doesn't he just give up?"  
  
"I don't know, but I am getting sick and tired of it," Phoebe replied. "I mean, who knows what Cole is doing? He could be..."  
  
Suddenly, Cole shimmered into the room, and said, "Hello, Phoebe."  
  
"...here," Piper concluded quietly.  
  
"Cole, get out of here, leave NOW!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
"Phoebe, we really have to talk," Cole said.  
  
"There is nothing to talk about, I don't LOVE you anymore Cole. I want you dead and gone," Phoebe replied angrily.  
  
"Are you just saying that to throw off your sisters? I mean, I would understand if you were, because..." Cole began.  
  
"That's IT!" Paige shouted, "Cole, all three of us are sick of you, and I for one am going to do something about it."  
  
Open Phoebe's heart to Cole Reveal the secret that it holds. Bring forth the passion of love's fire That he may feel her true desire  
  
As the spell concluded, light slammed into Cole. As the sisters watched, a look of horrible comprehension came over him.  
  
"No, no, NO!" Cole shouted, and then he shimmered out.  
  
"What did you do?" Piper asked.  
  
"I just made him understand how Phoebe felt," Paige replied. "I'm sure now he won't be trying to win you back, Phoebe."  
  
"If you really showed him what I feel for him, I am sure he won't," Phoebe commented, "but I am not sure if that is a good or a bad thing."  
  
****  
  
Cole shimmered randomly, going from place to place to place so fast even he couldn't tell where he was. He did it to try and escape the truth, the truth that had been laid bare just now. Phoebe didn't love him anymore.  
  
When Cole heard Paige casting the spell, his heart had leapt. Surely now the sisters would see the truth, and the voice in his head would give way to the sheer force of Phoebe's love for him. Then he started to feel what she felt. Black hatred and white hot anger boiled within him. Cole tried to fight past it, figuring it was because of their past, trying to find what he was sure was underneath. But there was no compassion, no love for him. To Phoebe, Cole was simply another demon.  
  
After what seemed like hours, Cole stopped shimmering. He was tired, and he couldn't run anymore. He looked around, and he vaguely remembered this plane. It didn't really matter; any plane was as good as the next. Cole waited, certain the voice within him would begin to talk to him, to convince him to be evil. But the voice was silent.  
  
"Come on, where are you," Cole said out loud. "Where's the scorn, the 'I told you so'? WHERE ARE YOU?" As Cole shouted, he began to feel something inside of him. The ground on which he had stood against so much pain was melting away. All his support, all his anchors were being destroyed by the reality. He had fought so hard to be with Phoebe, and she didn't love him. No one wanted him, or wanted anything to do with him. Only the voice was there, only the voice wanted him.  
  
"Please, talk to me," Cole begged. "Don't leave me alone. Please, I'll do anything you ask, just talk to me. Say anything, do anything, but don't abandon me like everyone else."  
  
The voice continued to be silent, and Cole began to feel grief and pain welling up inside him, the pain and grief he had been holding back ever since he returned from the wasteland. As it came on, Cole stopped fighting. He gave ground, and let the pain overwhelm him. Cole felt his mind being stretched as it tried to accept the brutal facts. The last thing Cole felt was a sound like a vase shattering on a floor, and then he felt nothing.  
  
****  
  
"DAMN IT!" Damon screamed.  
  
"What, what is the matter master?" Nisan asked.  
  
"Cole has moved beyond my ability to reach. I can no longer communicate with him. I was so close too," Damon commented as he got up and began to pace. "Cole's fragility was at an all time high. One push and he would be lost forever, but then he shimmered too far for me to reach." Damon continued to pace for a couple of seconds, and then he stopped. "No matter, Cole will not come back. I could feel that much. There is nothing here for him. The first part of my plan is complete. Thanks to the Charmed Ones, nothing can stop me now."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	2. Part 2

Cleansing part 2  
  
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this Phoebe?" Paige asked.  
  
"Yes, I am sure. I have to know," Phoebe continued.  
  
"Then we are going with you," Piper said firmly.  
  
Phoebe sighed, and said, "You know Cole's place is immune to orbing." She was going to continue, but the matching looks of determination on each of her sisters' faces stopped her. She sighed, and then said, "Come on. You can at least orb me to the bottom floor."  
  
As Paige took her hands, Phoebe asked herself if she was ready for this. It had been just short of a week since she had last seen or heard from Cole. Her last vision of him was that horrible, tortured look that came over his face when he felt what she felt for him. She didn't want to do this, but she had no choice. She had to know if Cole viewed them as a threat now, and the only way to do that was a direct confrontation.  
  
"Huh, that's odd," Paige remarked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Piper asked.  
  
"I can orb us directly to Cole's penthouse," Paige replied. "There is no barrier, nothing. It is just like every other place."  
  
Piper looked over at Phoebe, and said, "Do you think it is a trap?"  
  
"I don't know, but if it is, you're invincible, so you'll be fine," Phoebe half-heartedly joked. "There's only one way to find out, start orbing, now, now..." before she finished, she was orbing.  
  
When they appeared, all three sisters got into defensive crouches. They surveyed the room, and Phoebe began to feel puzzled. There was no sign of movement, no sign that anything had been disturbed for days. As she touched some Chinese food that had spilled on the ground, she found it was dry and had stuck to the floor. Cole obviously hadn't bothered to clean anything up.  
  
"Check this out," Piper said. As the other two sisters gathered around her, Piper hit the playback button on the answering machine. "Message 1...Cole, this is your secretary? Where are you? It's almost 3, and the trial starts at 330. You really need to get down here...Cole, are you there? Time of message, 4:54 pm on Monday."  
  
The sisters looked at each other. "So, Cole's work hasn't seen him all week, and he obviously hasn't been here. What do you think happened to him?" Piper said.  
  
"Do you think Cole has left for good?" Paige asked.  
  
"I...I don't know," Phoebe confessed, "I just don't know."  
  
****  
"Any sign?" Damon asked.  
  
"None, master," Nisan groveled, "I have searched as you commanded, and no one in the Underworld has seen or heard from Cole Turner in days. He has simply vanished."  
  
Damon looked pensive for a moment, and then said, "I don't like it. I wanted Cole dead or evil. His absence could present a problem to me...oh, well. All I can do is move forward and hope he doesn't come back until it is too late. Are you sure you found what I need?"  
  
"Yes, master," Nisan replied. "The demon I asked was most specific. The item you need is within Halliwell manor, and the spell to awaken it has to be read by them."  
  
"Hmmm...that does present difficulties," Damon said. He thought for a few moments, and then an evil grin came over him, "Or does it? I know exactly what to do. Nisan, do exactly as I tell you..."  
  
****  
  
As soon as she could see again, Phoebe walked over and sat down heavily on the couch. After all this time, and all the requests and demands for Cole to get out, he had finally done it. He was gone, possibly forever. She half-expected to feel some sense of sadness or remorse, but all she could feel was happiness. Had she truly moved on, and did she now care so little for her soulmate that his leaving created no inner turmoil, and had no emotional effect on her?  
  
"Phoebe, what do you think we should do?" Piper asked.  
  
"LEO!" Phoebe shouted. When he appeared, Phoebe said, "Cole is gone missing. Go to the Elders and find out what they know."  
  
"But...how...huh?" Leo said in confusion.  
  
"We'll explain later, just go," Phoebe said quickly. Leo stared at her for a few seconds, and then he orbed out. Phoebe then turned to her sisters and commented, "If Cole is really gone, then I will be the first to celebrate. But right now, I need to know positively. Therefore, let's work on some sort of summoning spell to bring him here, just to make sure."  
  
"Are you sure that's wise? After all, if we bring him back, this may start all over again," Paige remarked.  
  
"Maybe, but I need closure. And since we don't have anything else..." Phoebe began, when a premonition hit her. She saw a man being attacked by a demon in an alley. Just as the premonition ended, she caught a street sign: 36th and Broadway.  
  
"Looks like we have a small side track," Phoebe said. "We have to hurry, an innocent is about to be killed. Corner of 36th and Broadway. Let's go, now."  
  
Without wasting any time, Paige grabbed Piper and Phoebe and they orbed out. A few moments after they were gone, Nisan shimmered in. He glanced around once or twice nervously, and then he approached the Book of Shadows. When he got close, the Book began to glow. Nisan held his hand out and said, "Invisitro Asande" and the Book and pedestal vanished. He then turned and said, "Agarne Vito Vicos alumne," and a new Book and pedestal appeared. Nisan smiled, and said, "As you command, so shall it be master."  
  
****  
  
"Help me!" James shouted.  
  
The demon smiled, and said darkly, "Did you really think that anyone would hear you? You are beyond saving now. Just give up, and I promise to go easy on you."  
  
"Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you," Piper said as the sisters appeared. The demon turned, and Piper gestured. The demon blew up, and then reappeared. Piper gestured again, and the same thing happened.  
  
The demon gave the sisters an evil smile, and said, "Give it up. Your puny magic doesn't work on me." The demon cast an energy ball at the sisters, who dove out of the way.  
  
"Paige, grab our innocent!" Phoebe shouted. As soon as Paige did, Phoebe and Piper grabbed on, and they all orbed out. The demon's smile grew, and he said, "Everything is going according to plan."  
  
****  
  
As soon as he saw the blue orbs, Nisan gestured and said, "Momentus volve." As the pages in the 'Book of Shadows' began to turn, Nisan shimmered out.  
  
The sisters arrived to see the Book moving. "Look, Grams is trying to show us something," Paige said.  
  
"Yeah, except she normally waits until we are out of ideas," Phoebe said suspiciously.  
  
"Well, it is turned to our demon, so maybe she just thought we were pressed for time," Piper said. She bent down and began to read. "The demon Damon is an upper level demon who was empowered by the Gem of Azare centuries ago. He is nearly invulnerable, and only the Gem can destroy him. Hey, here's the spell to activate the gem and do what we want, all we have to do is find it."  
  
"What does it look like?" Paige asked.  
  
"Well, there's a very detailed pictured right here," Piper said.  
  
Paige looked at it for a few moments, and then said, "Gem of Azare." There was a flash of blue orbs, and then Paige had it in her hands.  
  
"Wha...I can't believe you did that," Phoebe said.  
  
"Well, we were pressed for time," Paige replied. "Now, all we have to do is get this demon here and he is toast."  
  
"Demons, what are you talking about?" the innocent asked for the first time. Piper gestured, and he froze. "We'll worry about him later. Right now we just have to get rid of this demon."  
  
"Does anyone else think this is kind of easy?" Phoebe commented.  
  
"Hey, I just wish they all were this easy," Paige replied. "Now all we have to do is get the demon here."  
  
"Did you really think you could escape me?" a new voice said, and Damon appeared. "I want that man, and I won't let a couple of amateur witches stop me. You can't hurt me, so I'll tell you what. Surrender him to me, and I promise I'll kill one of you quickly."  
  
"Thanks for the offer, but I'd prefer to vanquish you!" Piper shouted, and held up the gem.  
  
"It can't be, the Gem of Azare," Damon remarked as he began to back away.  
  
"Let's do this, sisters," Phoebe said. They began to read.  
  
Power of the Gem awaken Your powers are needed against the forsaken Use all your powers as commanded So our enemies can be disbanded.  
  
The Gem of Azare began to glow a bright green color. Damon stopped backing away, and the look of fear on his face was replaced by an evil cunning. He slowly bowed, and said, "Thank you so much."  
  
"What, what are you talking about?" Paige asked in confusion. Suddenly, a demon appeared behind the sisters. He ran forward, grabbed the Gem from Piper's hands, and ran to Damon's side.  
  
"Hey, what the hell is going on?" Piper shouted.  
  
Damon took the Gem, and smiled back at Piper. "You know, I really have to thank you. If it wasn't for everything you've done, I don't think I could have accomplished what I want to. You've done more for me than anyone, save possibly Nisan here. To thank you, I'm going to let you live long enough to see the fruits of your labors. Ta ta." Both Damon and Nisan shimmered out, and as the sisters watched in shock, the Book in front of them dissolved, and the real Book appeared two feet to the right.  
  
"What was that?" Piper asked.  
  
"I think we just got suckered by a demon," Phoebe replied.  
  
As the innocent began to come back around, Piper gestured and froze him again. "Paige, orb him somewhere while we try and figure this out." Paige nodded, grabbed James, and was gone. As Paige orbed out, Leo orbed in.  
  
"Hey guys, bad news. The Elders couldn't tell me where Cole was, and there is another problem. The Gem of Azare has been stolen."  
  
"You don't say," Phoebe said sarcastically. "What does it do?"  
  
"That's the thing," Leo replied in puzzlement, "the Gem is useless to evil, unless a spell is cast by powerful good witches to unlock its powers."  
  
"And if that happened, hypothetically, what would it do?" Piper asked.  
  
"It would be able to unravel any magical protections or spells. Each awakening gives it one blast," Leo replied. "Why, do you know something?"  
  
Phoebe and Piper closed their eyes, and then Phoebe said, "A demon just tricked us into stealing and awakening it."  
  
"WHAT!" Leo shouted.  
  
"We can worry about it later. The big question is what is the demon going to do with it now?" Piper asked.  
  
"And how can we stop him?"  
  
****  
  
"All is in readiness, let us begin," Damon said. Nisan bowed, and moved out of the way. Damon slowly entered the grove, and smirked. Even after all this time, Good and Evil had not put new Guardians here. They're worse than the US Government when it comes to bureaucracy. Damon held up the Gem, and said, "Resolve." A green bolt shot from the Gem and slammed into the ceremonial doors. A few seconds later, the doors swung wide open. Damon smiled, and said, "Bring me the box."  
  
Nisan bowed low and ran into the chamber. A few moments later, he brought out a box with intricately carved runes running down the sides of it. He kneeled and presented the box to his master so it would open towards Damon. Damon smiled, and said, "So it begins." Damon opened the box, and the Hollow surged into him. It entered every fiber of his body, becoming one with him. When the process was complete, Damon smiled and said in a different and deeper voice, "The Hollow and I are now one. Hand me the box."  
  
Nisan gladly handed the box over, and Damon gripped it on both sides. Seconds passed, and then a weird popping sound could be heard coming from the box. A few seconds later, Damon's hands slammed together, and the box shattered.  
  
"Now there is nothing that can stop us," Damon remarked. "I will cleanse the world of magic and humanity, and reforge it into a much purer form. Now, let the cleansing begin with the Charmed Ones."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	3. Part 3

Cleansing part 2  
  
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.  
  
"Leo, could the Elders tell you anything?" Piper demanded.  
  
"I'm sorry, but there are just too many things Damon could do with the Gem for them to even know. They checked all the other major Good artifacts, and they're all there. Unfortunately, that's all they can do."  
  
"The Elders are useless, how surprising," Paige said sarcastically.  
  
"Cut them some slack, they weren't expecting you to give an artifact as powerful as the Gem to evil," Leo retorted, and then added, "I'm sorry. I just feel so useless right now. I just wish we could find out what Damon is up to."  
  
"Your wish shall be granted," a new voice said. Piper and the sisters looked up as Damon shimmered in. Piper started to gesture, but Damon smiled and continued, "I would be more than happy to fight you, considering how powerful I now am. However, I require some messengers, and you'll do nicely."  
  
Phoebe pushed Piper's hands down, and asked, "Messengers for what?"  
  
Damon's smile widened, and she said, "Well, well. You finally show some insight and common sense. I must say I'm shocked given how pig-headed and evil you've been recently."  
  
"I'm not evil, and I don't do evil," Phoebe countered.  
  
"Oh, am I thinking of a different Phoebe Halliwell?" Damon asked with mocking surprise. "The Phoebe I'm thinking of took a man who could be a powerful force for good, and utterly crushed him. My congratulations, by the way. That evil is very impressive." Damon concluded with a mocking bow.  
  
"What do you want," Paige interrupted, as Phoebe's face went pale.  
  
"I just came so you can present a gift to the Elders for me," Damon continued. He threw a set of wood scraps at the sisters, who let them fall to the ground.  
  
"That's it, a bunch of scraps? What are we supposed to be fright..." Paige began, but she stopped as Leo's face went ashen.  
  
He had bent to pick up the fragments, and something on them scared him. Leo jumped up and said, "ARE YOU INSANE! Do you have ANY idea what you have unleashed?"  
  
"Yes, I do," Damon replied.  
  
"Leo, what's wrong?" Piper asked.  
  
"Piper, look at these fragments! What do they remind you of?" Leo handed a fragment to Piper. Piper studied it curiously. The runes were vaguely familiar, almost as if she had seen something like that before. But the last time she saw runes on wood was...  
Piper started shaking her head, and said vehemently, "No, NO, it can't be..." she whirled to Damon and continued, "YOU UNLEASHED THE HOLLOW!"  
  
As the other two sisters gasped, Damon started to clap. "Very nice, I'm glad you figured it out. Yes, the Hollow and I are now one, and there is no way to stop me. Using it, I will cleanse all of magic, and make the world a better place. However, I'm going to save you three for last, because I could never have accomplished all of this if you hadn't done my three huge favors."  
  
"What favors?" Paige said suspiciously.  
  
"As I'm sure Leo will tell you, the first thing you did was devastate evil," Damon said. "If you hadn't done that, you may have been able to get create another box. Now though...as for the second thing, shall I remind you who gave me the Gem that let me get the Hollow out? Oh, well, it is time to go, so much magic to absorb, so little time."  
  
As Damon prepared to leave, Phoebe asked, "Wait, what was the third favor?"  
  
Damon smiled, and said, "I'll let you figure that out on your own. It will be so much better that way." He then laughed and shimmered out.  
  
Piper leaned back in Leo's embrace, needing that comfort. No one spoke for several minutes, and then Phoebe asked, "So, what do we do now?"  
  
"I'm not sure there is anything we can do," Piper said. "We didn't ever vanquish the Hollow, Evil banded together with us to stop it. Even then, we had a complete box...wait, can we reassemble it?"  
  
Leo shook his head, and said, "No, it would require great power from Good and Evil. We can keep up our end, but only a crowned Source would have enough power to complement us, and we have stopped that from happening."  
  
"What about Cole?" Paige asked.  
  
Leo sighed, and commented, "Even if we could find him, Cole lost the part of him that was the Source. Each side didn't trust the other, and so they did their magic separately before combining them into the box. Even if Cole had enough power, he doesn't have the knowledge required to do it."  
  
"Well, we can't just sit here and wait to die!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
"I never suggested that, I was merely..." Leo began, but then his eyes lost focus. When he came back, he was visibly shaken.  
  
"What's going on?" Piper asked.  
  
"The Elders are calling," Leo began.  
  
"Probably want you to report in..." Paige commented, but Leo shook his head.  
  
"They already knew...no, they want to see us. ALL of us," Leo replied.  
  
****  
  
In Africa, a woman was just closing up her shop. The name of the store translated to "Magic Shop." She was just finishing when a man came in. She looked up and pointed to the sign on the door that said CLOSED.  
  
The man smiled, and said, "No, I'm afraid I've come for something else, witch." He then began to approach the woman menacingly. The woman thrust her hands up, and two bolts of lightning shot out of them. They hit the man and blew him up, leaving a swarm of black shapes. A few seconds later, the man reformed. He smiled and said, "Thank you." He then raised his hand and fired a lightning bolt back. The woman was slammed against the wall, her midsection gone. She was dead before she hit the wall. The man smiled, and then shimmered out.  
  
****  
  
"We are deeply concerned about what is happening on Earth," One of the Elders began. The sisters were in a chamber somewhere up in heaven, surrounded by five of the Elders. Each one stood solemnly, cloaked and hidden so no one could see their faces.  
  
"Yeah, well, we're kind of worried too," Paige replied, and Leo winced. He really wished they would show proper respect.  
  
It seemed the lead Elder smiled, and then he said, "Don't think we are not aware of the debt we owe you, we just wanted you to understand our position."  
  
"Didn't any of you see this coming?" Piper asked. "No offense, but at least one of you can see the future. Why didn't you detect this?"  
  
The Elder on the far right pulled back his hood, and the sisters recognized Kevin, the boy who they had helped become an Elder several months ago. "There were too many possibilities for me to find the one true path. I knew something evil was coming, but I simply could not tell what it was. I am sorry, but we had no idea it was coming."  
  
"The bottom line is, we have to take drastic action if we are to survive," the lead Elder said. "It is only a matter of time before Damon defeats every magical being on earth. We have already dispatched whitelighters to bring as many witches as possible up here to try and slow Damon down, but it is only a matter of time before he will get here. Therefore, we are breaking one of our most ancient traditions. It was a very close vote, but we have no choice."  
  
"What's the decision?" Phoebe asked.  
  
The lead Elder looked at the sisters for a few moments, and then he turned back to Leo and said, "Whitelighter Leo, you are ordered to take your charges to the Library of Nivara."  
  
Leo looked like he had been hit by a lightning bolt. "Are you sure? I mean, you know..."  
  
"Yes, Leo, we are sure," the Lead Elder interrupted.  
  
"Leo, what is this library?" Paige asked.  
  
Leo sighed, and then said, "It is the most extensive library of good magic in existence, and the most closely guarded secret. There is a spell on every Book of magic a witch uses, one that creates a copy in the library. Everything written in there as long as you are good is also put in the other book."  
  
"Wait, so OUR Book of Shadows is there?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Yes, along with thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of others, not to mention all the other works. Every good being with magic who has ever written down anything about the powers of good has a book somewhere there. If there is a way to stop the Hollow, it will be there."  
  
"Well, then let's go," Paige said. "No offense, but time is awasting."  
  
The Lead Elder seemed to smile, and then said, "Very well. I have already told the archivist you'll be coming. Good luck."  
  
As soon as they were gone, Kevin turned to the others and said, "Are you sure we did the right thing?"  
  
The Lead Elder sighed, and replied, "We did what we had to do."  
  
"But you know what they'll find there," Kevin continued, "It is the same thing you found when I told you the Hollow was going to be unleashed a month ago. We could have saved them a trip."  
  
"Yes, but they have to find that same information for themselves," another Elder said. "If they don't, they won't believe it, or may doubt it."  
  
"Well, we could have tried to help, tried to convince..." Kevin began.  
"How? We stood NO chance of getting the help we needed. Only they had the chance, and given how it has played out, I'm no longer sure even they can get it. We may well still be doomed."  
  
****  
  
A group of demons were gathered in the Underworld. Each led a faction of demons, and each had been asked to come to a meeting by someone who wanted to be the new Source. While this was a common meeting now that the position was open, this invitation was different. After they arrived and sat down, there was still no sign of the contender.  
  
Suddenly, he was there, and one of the demons snarled. "Damon, how dare you show your face again?" he said threateningly. "You were banished by the Source centuries ago for your ideas. Leave, or I will kill you myself."  
  
Damon smiled, and said, "Things have changed, and I would love for you to try and kill me. Come on, show me what you have."  
  
Three of the faction leaders threw energy balls. Damon blew apart, leaving behind a cloud of dark energy. A few moments later, he was back, and smiling. The same demons tried again, and found their powers didn't work!  
  
Damon looked around, and then he gestured. A forcefield appeared around the chamber. When the demons looked back, Damon smiled and commented, "A power I picked up from a witch I ran across. Now then, I am no longer Damon, I am the Hollow!" As the demons paled, Damon continued, "Good, you know what I'm talking about. Now then, all of you will give me your powers. You can do it willingly, and I'll let you leave. Or I will torture you until you use them. It is your choice. I am waiting. You each have one minute to decide."  
  
****  
  
When the sisters could see again, they gasped. They were in a vast chamber, with tables in the center. On all the walls were bookcases stocked full of books, and the bookcases went in all directions (including up) as far as the eye could see.  
  
"My god! There must be a million books here," Paige exclaimed.  
  
"Actually, there are 7,125,856 books," a thin querulous voice said. The sisters whirled to find a gnarly old man looking at them with unabashed curiosity. To the sisters' shock, the man had POINTED ears.  
  
"My goodness. A human, I haven't seen one of those in centuries," the man looked at each, and his eyes widened suddenly when he saw Piper. "OH MY GOD! You are pregnant, this is SO EXCITING." Before Piper could move, the man had put a hand on her stomach. He felt for a moment as Piper tried to adjust, and then said, "Do you mind if I conduct a few thousand tests. There is just so much..."  
  
"Are you the archivist?" Leo interrupted.  
  
The man looked back at Leo and smiled. He then slapped his head and replied, "Oh, how silly of me! My name is Banfiz, and I am the archivist." Banfiz shook each of their hands hard and then asked, "So, what do you need to know about?"  
  
"I thought the Elders told you. We are looking for information on the Hollow," Piper said in confusion.  
  
Banfiz slapped his head again, and said, "Right, of course. I'm sorry. I was distracted exploring the most powerful forces in the world."  
  
"What forces are those?" Paige asked excitedly.  
  
Banfiz looked around, and then leaned into Paige. He then whispered, "Sugar cookies and Weinershnitzels."  
  
"Huh?" Paige asked.  
  
"Never mind. That is obviously far beyond your training," Banfiz said solemnly. "Now then, the books you can start with are over there." As Banfiz pointed, the sisters saw a stack of books that wasn't there before. Before they could comment, Banfiz continued, "I will go get some of the more obscure texts. And consider my request for tests," he shouted back at Piper as he ran off.  
  
"What the hell is with him?" Phoebe asked as they walked to the table.  
  
"Banfiz is the last of his type of magic, and is very powerful. He is just a bit...eccentric, but that is his magic type," Leo explained.  
  
"What magic type is that?" Paige asked.  
  
"Chaos Wizard," Leo replied, and then said, "now, come on, we have work to do."  
  
****  
  
"Don't worry, I'll think we'll be safe here," the man said to his daughter and wife. "I don't think the demon will look here, so we can wait for Jen to get here."  
  
As he finished speaking, two things happened. A Whitelighter orbed in, and the door exploded inward. The family flew backwards. The Whitelighter grabbed the wife and the daughter and began to orb out.  
  
"Wait, what about my husband!" the woman shouted.  
  
"I'm sorry, but there's no time," the Whitelighter said compassionately, and then they were gone.  
  
Damon calmly walked into the room, and surveyed it. He walked over to the man, who was slowly coming to his feet. "Now then, are you going to use your powers, or do I have to torture you to get them?"  
  
The man smiled, and said, "Go ahead."  
  
Damon shrugged, and slammed his fist into the man's face, shattering his nose. The man fell back, and Damon said, "Will you give it to me now?"  
  
The man got to his feet, and to Damon's astonishment, he was UNHARMED. "Is that all you've got?" the man said with a sneer.  
  
"Well, well. Incredibly rapid healing. This was unexpected." Damon thought for a moment, and then said, "Oh, well, I can deal with that." With brutal speed, Damon's arm shot out and slammed into the man's chest. He grabbed the man's heart, and waited. Sure enough, the man's power activated, and tried to heal it. Within seconds, the power was Damon's. Damon smiled at the man, who was in obvious pain. He leaned forward and whispered, "Don't worry...your wife and child will join you." He then pulled out the man's heart.  
  
****  
  
"Ugghhh," Paige said as she pulled the book away. "How long have we been here?"  
  
"About five minutes," Banfiz said as he returned.  
  
"What? We've been here for hours," Paige said.  
  
"Yes, in here, but outside in your world, five minutes have passed. One of the spells here that I activated for you," Banzif replied absently.  
  
"Look, there has to be something here we are just missing," Piper said. "I can't believe in all these books on the Hollow, there is nothing to help us."  
  
"Well, that is why I brought you this," Banzif said, as he handed over a well-worn volume. "This is the journal of the man who was the High Elder at the time of the Hollow. He and the Source sealed it away. I found page 86 the most useful."  
  
"Let me read it out loud," Leo commented. "The time of the Sealing grows close. I just hope Magos can keep it contained long enough. He is our only chance, the only one immune. Who would have thought I would ever rely on a demon?" Leo looked up, and said, "Immune, wait, I read something about him somewhere."  
  
"Yeah, it is right here," Paige said, "Magos was a demon possessed by the Hollow. He eventually was tossed aside for a new vessel. The Source, low on demons, gave Magos more powers, and Magos was somehow immune to the Hollow."  
  
"Wait, there's more," Leo said, "My theory is that something in the symbiosis of the Hollow and its host gives them a certain gift. Whatever the reason, all those beings possessed by the Hollow and then released were found to be able to keep their powers against the Hollow. Apparently, the Hollow grants its hosts immunity for passage. Whatever the reason, these beings are the only ones who can stop the Hollow. Unfortunately, none of them were very strong to start with, so we had no choice but to seal it away. We made the cage, and they got it in."  
  
"So, what they're saying is if someone somehow kept their powers after the Hollow possessed them, they would be able to use them against it?" Piper asked. When Leo nodded, she added, "And if that person was strong enough, to destroy it forever?"  
  
"That's what it sounds like," Banzif said.  
  
"Well, it's too bad we don't have someone like that..." Paige began, but Phoebe's gasp stopped her. The sisters turned, and cried out. Phoebe had gone dead white, and had fallen back in her chair heavily.  
  
"Phoebe, what's wrong?" Piper asked.  
  
"I understand it now, I know what the third favor to Damon was," Phoebe said.  
  
"What?" Paige asked.  
  
"Don't you get it? We have someone who fits those criteria, someone both powerful and immune," Phoebe said bitterly.  
  
"Who..." Piper began, and then she went pale and whispered, "Cole."  
  
Phoebe let out a bitter laugh, and then added, "Cole is the only one who could stand against Damon and stop him, and I...we drove him away. If we hadn't gotten rid of him, Cole could have stopped Damon."  
  
"You know what that means, don't you?" Leo asked.  
  
Phoebe nodded slowly, and said, "Whatever the cost, whatever it takes, we have to find Cole."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	4. Part 4

Cleansing part 3  
  
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.  
  
"Phoebe, do you know what you're saying?" Piper asked.  
  
"Yes I do, but we have no choice," Phoebe commented.  
  
"But if we bring Cole back, we may never be able to get him to leave," Paige said.  
  
"Don't you THINK I KNOW THAT!" Phoebe shouted. "Do you think I want him anywhere near me? I want him DEAD, he is an evil bastard. But, he is also the only one who can stop Damon."  
  
"We'll keep looking, there has to be another way," Piper said hopefully.  
  
"There isn't, and you know it," Phoebe continued. "It took Good and Evil at their strongest to just contain it last time, and we don't have that. Besides, last time it was on its own, and now it has a being giving it guidance. There is no other option. We can't fight it: only Cole can. We have to find him, and bring him back here. Then he can slither back into whatever hole he went to for all I care."  
  
"That raises an interesting point," Piper remarked. "HOW do we find Cole? I mean, if he really has left, how can we find him?"  
  
"What about the spell Phoebe used to go to the Wasteland?" Paige asked. "We could use that..."  
  
"That spell won't work, because Cole isn't my love anymore. We need a link, some link of blood or emotion to find him," Phoebe interrupted.  
  
"A pity you're on birth control," Banzif commented.  
  
"WHAT!" Phoebe whirled to face Banzif.  
  
"You know, Birth control, anti-baby stuff. You did know you were on it, right? I mean," Banzif said with concern.  
  
"Of course I knew that," Phoebe snapped, "but what does that have to do with Cole?"  
  
"Well, any children he made would be linked to him," Banzif replied. "They don't even have to be alive, or yours. All you need is the spirit of the child, because he is partly his father, so he can be used as a filter to find him," he continued as he saw a pained expression cross Phoebe's face.  
  
"Phoebe, you don't think, we can't..." Piper began.  
  
"If it will find Cole, we don't have a choice," Phoebe replied. "We have to summon back the baby I carried."  
  
****  
  
"RUN!" the man shouted to his son. The little boy started to run, and the man turned to face their pursuer.  
  
"Did you really think he can escape me?" Damon asked in amusement. "I can just round him up later."  
  
"Not if you're dead," the man replied, and he gestured. A massive force slammed into Damon and threw him against the wall. There was a brief moment when Damon seemed to phase, and then Damon stood up. He brushed himself off and said, "Is that all you've got?"  
  
The man gestured again, but nothing happened. Damon slowly approached as the man tried desperately to get his powers to work.  
  
"You tried to defend your son, and that is commendable," Damon replied. "For that, I grant you a quick death." As the athame Damon called slammed into the man's chest, Damon added, "But I never promised the same for your son."  
  
****  
  
Hear these words  
  
Hear my cry  
  
Spirit on the other side  
  
Come to me I summon thee  
  
Cross now the great divide  
  
The sisters finished chanting, and a swirl of bright lights appeared. When they cleared, the sisters found two beings standing there. One they recognized, but the other rocked them back on their heels.  
  
"PRUE!" Piper gasped.  
  
Prue nodded sadly, and then said, "Yes Piper, it's me. I know you only wanted him, but he wouldn't come alone."  
  
"Why not?" Phoebe asked.  
  
Prue looked pained, and added, "Because he hates all of you with a passion I haven't been able to dull."  
  
Phoebe went pale, and Paige asked, "Why?"  
  
Prue shook her head, and said, "I don't know, but he'd hiding something. Something was going on with him up in Heaven, something that no one could figure out. For some reason, he was a normal kid except when you three were mentioned."  
  
"Then he is in Heaven?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Of course he is," Prue said in exasperation. "Did you think we'd let a family member burn in Hell forever? Besides, he was only a child. Now then, cast your spell, and then we'll go back."  
  
The sisters began to get their supplies ready when Banzif cleared his throat. "Oh, no," Paige said, "now what?"  
  
"I'm afraid the spell I gave you won't work unless the participant is willing. If he doesn't let you, the spell won't work," Banzif added.  
  
"Well, can't you give us another spell?" Piper asked.  
  
"Not one that would work," Banzif replied. "The only way to proceed is to..."  
  
"Get him to help my sisters," Prue finished. She walked over to the boy and said, "Will you please help us?" When the boy shook his head violently, Prue asked, "For me? Just talk to them?"  
  
"But I don't want to Auntie Prue," the boy replied.  
  
"I know, but please...for me?" Prue added. The boy looked at her for a few moments, and then nodded once, curtly.  
  
Prue smiled, and led the boy over to the sisters. Piper leaned down, and said, "Hello, it is nice to meet you.what is his name?"  
  
"He was never named, so we just call him little one," Prue added.  
  
"Hello, little one. I'm your Aunt Piper, and this is your Aunt Paige," Piper said gently as she pointed at Paige.  
  
"I know who you are," the boy said, "and my name is Cole."  
  
"What?" Phoebe asked, as the others looked at the boy in shock.  
  
The boy looked at Phoebe, and Phoebe had to fight not to run. If look's could kill, her son's look would have flayed her alive.  
  
"My name is Coleridge Turner Jr., son of Coleridge Turner. My father named me, and my father loves me, and I love him. I will never help you, bitch."  
  
Phoebe gasped, and would have fallen if an ashen faced Leo hadn't caught her. Her son hated her.  
  
Piper looked at Coleridge and guessed, "You talked to your father before he and you died, telepathically? Listen, there were things you didn't understand about that..."  
  
"I said we TALK, not talked," Coleridge interrupted.  
  
"You...you still talk to your father?" Phoebe gasped. Her son looked at her for a moment, and then nodded.  
  
"How?" Prue asked in shock, "You're in Heaven, and Cole's a demon."  
  
"My FATHER is not a demon. He is a loving caring man. And there are no boundaries for us," Coleridge replied coldly. "I don't care what you say to me. I know what has happened. I felt all you did to him. You three disgust me, and I am ashamed to be related to you. Especially to you MOTHER." Coleridge said the last word as a sneer, and Phoebe shivered. "You took an innocent man who only wanted to be with the woman he loved and completely destroyed him. You robbed him of his confidence, his strength, and shattered all his hopes and dreams."  
  
Phoebe felt tears sliding down her cheeks, and realized she was crying, had been crying for several seconds. "I'm...I'm so sorry," she said softly.  
  
"Spare me your misbegotten and ill-timed apologies. I don't want them." Coleridge replied. He then turned to Prue and asked nicely, "Can we go back now, Auntie Prue?"  
  
"Wait," Phoebe said. When her son looked back, Phoebe practically begged, "If Cole is as good a man as you say he is, then he will want to help us, he will want us to find him. The world is in jeopardy, and only he can save it. If we don't find him, then the entire world will die. And I don't think your father could live with himself if that happened, ESPECIALLY if he is the man you say he is."  
  
As the boy thought it over, Phoebe wondered how her son could have reopened so many wounds. She knew she did not love Cole, but she felt pity and sadness taking the place of anger and hate. She now realized that Cole was not at fault: she was. She had pushed him away, and then locked her love for him up until it withered and died. Now, all she could do was what she had to do.  
  
"Alright, I'll do it, but I want your word you will not kill or hurt him," Coleridge said finally.  
  
The sisters sighed, and then said, "You have our words."  
  
Coleridge nodded, and said, "Very well. Do it."  
  
We seek to find someone elsewhere Through the son for which he does care Use the link from father and son To show us his location when this spell is done  
  
As the spell ended, the sisters felt something new inside of them. They could vaguely sense that Cole was somewhere VERY far away.  
  
"Leo, can you follow that?" Piper asked.  
  
Leo nodded, and said, "As long as it lasts."  
  
"Don't worry. The spell will last as long until you actually get within a foot of him," Banzif said. "Before you go, you should send the spirits back. They are no longer needed, and being here probably taxes them."  
  
Phoebe turned to her son and said, "Thank you."  
  
As Prue turned to leave, Coleridge looked at the living sisters and said, "I didn't do it for you. I did it for him. Remember your vow, and understand one thing. If you hurt or kill my father, I will find out about it. While I can't do anything to you while you live, I give you this, MY vow. Even if I am banished from Heaven and it takes all of my power, if you kill Cole, you three will never enter Heaven," Cole Jr. concluded with a dark stare, and then faded.  
  
No one spoke for several moments as they tried to fight their fear. Finally, Piper joked, "He's a Halliwell alright. He's got our temper."  
  
"Come on, let's find Cole," Paige said. As they all gathered around Leo, Banzif walked forward and gravely presented Paige with a box.  
  
"What's this?" Paige asked.  
  
"Powerful magic," Banzif replied.  
  
As they began to leave, Paige looked in the box and exclaimed, "What am I going to do with Sugar cookies and Weinershnitzels?"  
  
****  
  
As Damon was wiping off his blade, Nisan appeared. He bowed low, and asked, "Was it a good kill master?"  
  
"It was productive, yes," Damon replied, and then turned to his servant. "Since you are loyal, which is the only reason you still have your powers, I must assume you have something you wish to report."  
  
"The Charmed Ones have vanished," Nisan replied.  
  
Damon stopped wiping, and looked at Nisan, "Gone to Heaven?"  
  
"No, master," Nisan continued as he shook his head, "I felt them moving through the planes, and then they were gone, out of my range."  
  
Damon started to pace, and said out loud, "So, they seek Cole, and figured out what he can do. Fine, let them. By the time they get back, it will make no difference. I will crush Cole like a bug, and then break the Charmed Ones over my back. They are too late. This world is mine!"  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	5. Part 5

Cleansing part 4  
  
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.  
  
"Leo, why have we stopped orbing?" Piper asked. She could still feel Cole, and while he was closer, he still had a faraway feel to him. When Leo didn't answer, Piper turned to her husband in confusion and asked, "Leo?" she then gasped and grabbed him.  
  
Leo looked terrible. He was very pale, and his muscles were quivering. He looked utterly exhausted. As Piper slowly lowered him to the ground, Leo muttered, "So...sorry, took more out of me than I...thought. Need to rest for a little bit," Leo said as he closed his eyes, and Piper could tell he had lost consciousness.  
  
"Well, it looks like we are stuck in this place for a little while," Paige said. "I don't see why I couldn't just keep us going."  
  
"My guess is we are a lot farther out than we think, and he is worried you couldn't handle it. Excuse me," Phoebe said quietly, and she walked over to a rock about thirty yards away and sat on it.  
  
"What is with her?" Paige asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I am going to find out," Piper replied. "Keep an eye on my husband, alright?" Paige nodded, and Piper walked over to Phoebe. She approached slowly, but Phoebe didn't move or indicate she saw Piper. Piper said softly, "Pheebs, talk to me, what's wrong?"  
  
Phoebe was silent for a long time, and Piper was about to ask again when she said slowly, "He hates me."  
  
Piper sat down next to her and said, "Who, Cole? I don't know about..."  
  
"Not Cole," Phoebe said, and turned to look at Piper. Piper could see a deep emotional turmoil within her. "My son...he hates me for what happened between Cole and I, and it hurts more than I can bear because he is right."  
  
"What?" Piper asked in confusion.  
  
"While we've been going, I've thought about what he said, and he's right," Phoebe continued. "I know I don't love Cole, but what I did to him..." Phoebe shuddered, and began to cry.  
  
"Ssshhh, it's alright, everything will be fine," Piper soothed as she gently put her arms around Phoebe and began to rock her.  
  
"No, it won't," Phoebe said hoarsely, "I could feel his vulnerability, Piper. I knew exactly how to hurt him, and I did it as often and as painfully as I could. I destroyed him, and I drove him out, and I'm afraid..."  
  
"Afraid of what?" Piper asked, trying to make Phoebe continue.  
  
"Only someone truly evil could do what I've done to Cole," Phoebe said softly.  
  
"That is absolutely ridiculous," Piper said firmly. "He hurt you, and you reacted. That isn't evil. We all made mistakes when it came to Cole. Don't get me wrong, I still don't like him, and I want him dead. But we are not evil. We just made a mistake."  
  
"I don't...don't know if I can face him," Phoebe confessed. "I saw his face before he left, and I don't know if I can beg him for help."  
  
"We will cross that bridge when we come to it, Phoebe," Piper replied. "Now, pull yourself together. You look scary. We don't want to frighten Cole into running again."  
  
That last remark did what Piper hoped. Phoebe chuckled, and composed herself. As they got up to leave, Phoebe said, "Thanks."  
  
"No problem, what's family for?" Piper replied with a grin. They walked over to Paige and Leo and saw Leo looked much better. Paige was holding her hands over him, and the sisters could see she was imparting some of her healing power to help with his exhaustion. After a few more seconds, Leo's color returned, and he slowly woke up. "How long was I out for?" he asked in confusion.  
  
"About twenty minutes," Paige replied. "Now come on, you slacker, we need a ride. Let's go find us a demon."  
  
****  
  
"What do you want?" Damon asked. He was taking a break from his mission, relaxing on the Source's throne down in the Underworld. In front of him were seven demons, each powerful in their own rights, demons who would sooner be tortured forever than to show weakness to anyone. They now bowed in fear.  
  
"We wish to join you," one of the demons said with a slight quaver in his voice, "With us on your side, the rest of the demons and warlocks will fall in line. Also, we can greatly increase your campaign against good."  
  
Damon smiled slowly, and said, "Your courage amuses me." Damon waved, and the other six demons burst into flames and were vanquished. Their powers, however, flowed into the seventh demon. The demon stood slowly, and Damon continued, "Since you spoke, you will serve. Now you are worthy of serving me, so long as you amuse me. Welcome to the Cleansing, my newest servant."  
  
The demon bowed low, and replied, "Yes, Master."  
  
****  
  
When they could see again, Paige asked, "Are we in the right realm?"  
  
Leo nodded, and said, "Cole is somewhere in this realm. Unfortunately, there is a great deal of magic here, so much that I cannot be more precise. Can anyone?"  
  
The sisters all tried to focus in, but all they could tell was a general direction. Piper pointed, and said, "He is that way."  
  
"Then let's go. I guess we're walking." Paige replied. The sisters looked around, and noticed they were in a grassy plain. In the distance they could see what appeared to be a road, and since it was heading the way they wanted to, the sisters figured they could walk on that.  
  
When they got to the road, Leo bent down to examine it. He then said, "If I had to guess, I'd say we're in a less advanced area."  
  
"How do you figure that?" Piper asked curiously.  
  
Leo pointed, and said, "The road has horse tracks on it, and no tire tracks. Also, it is simply been cleared, and hasn't been paved or altered in anyway. Come on, let's get going."  
  
As they started walking, Phoebe asked, "Anyone know what time it is?"  
  
"Yeah, it's...huh," Paige said.  
  
"What?" Piper commented.  
  
"My watch is broken," Paige said. She pointed and continued, "Look, it isn't moving."  
  
"The watch isn't broken," Leo explained. "It is just linked to the way time moves in our realm. Apparently, time moves faster here."  
  
"Then wouldn't the watch move faster too?" Piper asked. She held up her hands before Leo could answer and continued, "Wait, I can tell before you say anything that it is complicated, and I would be better off just accepting it, right?" Leo nodded, and Piper sighed, "Well, at least this faster time means less time will pass in our reality, which is a good thing."  
  
The sisters walked for about two hours, before they came upon a village. It was a small place with a few huts, which seemed to confirm Leo's suspicions about this being a less advanced civilization.  
  
"Do you think we should go down there?" Leo asked.  
  
"We don't have much of a choice," Piper replied. "We need information, and this is our best bet."  
  
"Alright, just a moment," Leo said. He briefly touched each sister, and concentrated. To their shock, the sister's clothes changed into more medieval style clothing.  
  
"Leo, have you always been able to do that?" Piper demanded.  
  
"Well...yes. I just never needed to before," Leo replied.  
  
"Fight later, move now," Phoebe interrupted, and pushed them towards the village.  
  
"You and I will talk about this soon," Piper commented ominously. She then followed Phoebe and Paige into the village.  
  
When they walked in, all movement ceased. About a dozen villagers were out and about, and they all turned to stare curiously at the new visitors. Phoebe looked around, and then started to speak, "Hi, we're looking for a man, who may have..." She stopped when she saw a look of awe cross the face of every villager. Slowly, they kneeled and began to speak rapidly in a language the sisters couldn't recognize.  
  
"What's going on?" Paige whispered.  
  
"I don't know, just go with it," Piper murmured quietly.  
  
Just then, an elderly woman appeared from her hut near the center of the village. She slowly approached the sisters with a concentrated look on her face. The sisters fought not to squirm, and then Paige said, "Hi, how are you?"  
  
The woman's face broke out into a smile, and she said with a very large smile, "COUSINS!" To the shock of the sisters and Leo, she then proceeded to hug each one tightly. "It has been such a long time since another one of us has come here, I began to despair. Thank the Great One you have come."  
  
"I'm sorry, but we're not sure what you're..." Piper began, but the woman shushed her.  
  
"Quiet, I am sure you must be exhausted from your journey. Why didn't you shimmer or orb in?" the woman asked. When they looked even more confused, the woman continued, "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Welcome to Haversford. What is mine is yours, so all may share in the wisdom of the Great One." The woman led them into her hut, a small but comfortably furnished room. There was one other person in their, a very pretty girl about Paige's age, with black hair and very penetrating emerald eyes.  
  
"Sit, sit," the woman said as she gestured to the chairs. When they did so, the woman beamed and replied, "So, what brings you here?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but who do you think we are?" Paige asked.  
  
The woman looked confused, and replied, "Why, you're witches of course. He looks like a whitelighter crossbreed, but that is still fine."  
  
The sisters looked at each other in complete shock, and Piper replied, "How do you KNOW that?"  
  
The old woman's confusion grew as she said, "You speak the Holy Tongue, so of course you are witches. Why, you aren't?"  
  
"No, we are, but what's this Holy Tongue you speak of?" Leo asked.  
  
"We're speaking it now, as it is taught by the Great One," the old woman said. She then looked at them slowly, and said, "I think you need to explain yourselves, fully." When the old woman's eyes focused, the sisters could feel the power behind them. Without hesitation, they began to speak of their world, and their quest.  
  
It took several hours, and when they were finished, neither woman spoke for several moments. Finally, the old woman said, "What you say is both fantastic and hard to believe. However, I do not doubt you. It is quite a story." The woman stood, and then continued, "I recognize the urgency of your quest, and will help you however I can."  
  
"Before that, I realize we have been rude," Leo replied. "We haven't even asked your names."  
  
The younger woman spoke for the first time in a while, and said, "This is my grandmother Penelope. I am Phoebe. We are both witches of the order of Halliwell."  
  
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Phoebe managed to stammer as the others tried to accommodate this new development.  
  
Penelope smiled, and said, "That's right, you don't know. All witches are trained at the Holy City, where the Great One dwells. The highest Order, those witches who have the power to heal minds, is known as Halliwells."  
  
"I understand that," Piper said, "But why Phoebe? I can't believe it is common name here, for some reason."  
  
"Of course it isn't," Penelope said in exasperation. "It is the holiest name, reserved only for the most powerful beings detected at birth. Phoebe here has the potential to be the strongest witch seen for generations, so I named her appropriately."  
  
"I see..." Phoebe said weakly.  
  
"Now, what does this man look like that you seek?" Penelope asked.  
  
As Phoebe began to describe Cole, Penelope went pale. She stood slowly, and said, "Are you absolutely sure about that description?" When they nodded, she said, "Then I have story to tell you.  
  
"Seven generations ago, the world was in chaos. Magic ran rampant, and the witches of that time were greedy. They used their power how they saw fit. Some tried to help mankind, but many were not. It was a very dark time for the world, and many felt we would never come out of it.  
  
"Then, a man was found outside the Holy City. His mind was in shambles, and so he was brought to a powerful witch. Her original name was not remembered, but she was incredibly arrogant, and one of the worst of the lot. She decided to help the man to prove her power, and entered his mind. She was in there for close to two days. When she came back, she was weeping, and was greatly changed.  
  
"Several things happened. First of all, she sent the word to all witches in the area that they must try to heal this man, for it was of critical importance. She said the man had once been like her, with no restraint. However, he had fallen in love with a good witch, and he changed. He fought through pain and torment, and placed restraints on his powers. He imposed rules and order where none before existed and he tried to do good. His courage inspired the woman. She took the name Phoebe in honor of his courage for love, and began to follow the same discipline he had lived.  
  
"Over the years, more and more witches came to heal him, and saw the light. Within a generation, the city where he was found was changed to be known as the Holy City, and became the training ground of all magic users. They are trained from birth, and taught the discipline as it was taught by the Great One."  
  
Phoebe swallowed, and then asked, "What happened to...the Great One?"  
  
Penelope sighed, and said, "Despite all the efforts throughout the generations, no one has managed to bring him back to sanity. He lives still, and is given the very best care, in honor of all that his memories teach."  
  
"We have to go to him," Piper said.  
  
Penelope stared at them, and then said, "Yes, you do. Very well, I will get you to the Holy City. My granddaughter has just finished her training in the field, and was on her way to the City for the final test to become a full Halliwell witch. She will be your guide."  
  
"Thank you," Piper said. "We'll leave now if we can."  
  
"I would expect no less," the woman said. "Phoebe will teleport you there. Take her hands."  
  
The sisters did so, and just before they left, Phoebe said, "What is the final test?"  
  
"The final test is to enter the mind of the Great One, and to try and heal his mind," Penelope said, and then the world faded.  
  
****  
  
When the sisters and Leo could see again, they found themselves on the main street of another city. However, the sisters looked around and realized this place looked even more worn than the last. All the buildings were old and none had any fanciness or color.  
  
"What's with this city?" Phoebe murmured.  
  
"One of the Great Ones teachings is that material things corrupt, and that the gains from helping others are the greater reward," Other-Phoebe replied. "Follow me, and we will go to the Great One."  
  
The sisters followed Other-Phoebe, who led them swiftly through the crowd toward a building in the exact center. With a start, the sisters realized the entire city was built as a pentagram! Everywhere they looked, the sisters saw witches, who talked and traded magical supplies.  
  
"How do you all eat and keep housed?" Piper asked.  
  
Other-Phoebe smiled, and said, "Every city in the world gives a portion of their taxes to us each year, so we may focus on our training. They do that so we may focus on helping them, which we do gladly."  
  
Finally, the sisters and Other-Phoebe entered the building in the center. They found two witches standing inside, both male, and a door that seemed to be connected to nothing. Both men bowed low to Other-Phoebe, and one asked, "Halliwell, you honor us. Come for your testing?"  
  
Other-Phoebe nodded, and said, "Yes, Turner I have. These four will accompany me."  
  
"But Halliwell..." one of the men started, but Other-Phoebe interrupted him.  
  
"With them, I may be able to heal the Great One. Would you deny me that chance?"  
  
"The Great One guides us, the Great One leads us, in his wisdom we find truth," the two men said simultaneously. Then one of them said, "Of course they may follow you in." The man on the right opened the door, and the sisters saw a vast chamber beyond it. They looked to Other-Phoebe, who said, "Spectral doors." She then led them through.  
  
Phoebe looked around as they entered. They were in a giant greenhouse, with trees and plants all around them. "Why is he here?" she asked.  
  
"The Great One's memories show a fondness for nature, and so we comply with his wishes. We try and make him as happy as he can be, for what he gave to our people," Other-Phoebe replied.  
  
"What did you mean when you said we could help you heal him?" Piper questioned.  
  
Other-Phoebe sighed, and said, "When a witch enters a person's mind, he sees their memories. These memories are used both as a shield and a guide to the person's inner self, and there are always defenses. Usually, a person who knows him well is brought along if possible to help explain the memories, and to get past the guards. Unfortunately, the Great One has no one, and so we have been unable to use his memories to get past his mental defenses...until now." Other-Phoebe turned to the Charmed Ones, and said, "You know him, and with you along, I may be able to get past his defenses and bring him back. Will you help me...please?"  
  
The sisters looked at each other, and then Piper said, "Yes, we will."  
  
"We are here," Other-Phoebe said suddenly, but the sisters could hear the relief in her voice. All the sisters looked up, and saw Cole.  
  
Phoebe bit back a gasp. Physically, Cole looked exactly the same. He hadn't aged, and was still disheveled and dirty. His four day stubble had become a small beard. No, what shocked Phoebe were his eyes. Always before, good or evil, Cole's eyes showed a depth of pain and emotion Phoebe could never hope to match. Now, there was nothing. It was as if the body was empty, and all that was Cole was destroyed.  
  
"If it has been so long, why hasn't he changed?" Paige asked.  
  
"The witches put spells on him to keep him frozen in time. They do that for all patients until they can be healed," Other-Phoebe explained. "The Great One's muscles will not atrophy, and nothing will happen to him until he is healed. Are you ready?" She held out her hands as she said the last part.  
  
The sisters and Leo looked at each other, and then took her hands. "As ready as we'll ever be."  
  
Other-Phoebe smiled, and slowly had them sit in a circle around Cole, with Other-Phoebe facing him. The sisters looked over, and watched as Other-Phoebe's eyes began to glow. Her face took on a concentrated look, and then the sisters felt a pulling deep inside. They tried to fight it briefly, and then gave over to it, and the world faded.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
(By the way, I apologize for the confusion. From now on, Phoebe H. = Phoebe Halliwell and Phoebe = other dimension Phoebe.) 


	6. Part 6

Cleansing part 5  
  
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.  
  
"Where are we?" Piper asked when they could see again. The sisters found themselves in a misty place that seemed similar to the Elder's home back in their realm.  
  
"This is the place between psyches," Other-Phoebe replied. "From here, I can draw out the memories of the person and let us learn what we need to before we proceed into his mind."  
  
"What do we need to learn?" Paige asked. "All we need to do is talk to him, and he'll come around."  
  
"You don't understand," Other-Phoebe commented. "We have to find the source of his insanity, the root of it, what caused it, or he will never come back. There is nothing here unless we can heal him. Without seeing his memories, we can never save him."  
Paige was going to speak again, but Phoebe put her hand of Paige's arm. She then looked at her namesake, and said, "Let's do it."  
  
Other-Phoebe nodded, and remarked, "One more thing. You will be in the background, as observers, but you will feel everything Cole feels. I can show us the memories that seem to have significance to him, but only you can explain them. I am counting on you."  
  
"We'll do whatever we can," Piper said solemnly. "Our world is counting on us."  
  
Other-Phoebe smiled, and closed her eyes, "Let's do it."  
  
****  
  
As the fireball flew towards Phoebe, Cole shimmered in. He ran forward as fast as he could, because he had to save Phoebe. He felt the fireball slam into him, and then a strange sensation coursed through him. When it passed, Cole could summon a fireball at will.  
  
"Belthazor!" the Source said in shock. Phoebe looked at him and he saw in her eyes that she understood what had happened.  
  
"No, the Hollow," Phoebe said softly.  
  
Cole looked at her for a moment, and then shouted, "Hurry, the spell!" as he hurled a fireball at the Source. It knocked the Source back, as he stared in shock. The sisters began to chant, but Cole couldn't hear them. He pulled hard, pulled in everything he could to hold the Source back. Then it was over, the Source burst into flames. The Seer appeared, and asked Phoebe to read it with her. The sisters looked to him for confirmation, and Cole knew he had to give it. "Trust her. It's your only choice...if you want your powers back," he whispered, and they did.  
  
As Phoebe and the Seer chanted, Cole could feel something new entering him. It was alien, and ugly, and dark. Cole realized with horror that the Source was trying to enter HIM! He tried to fight back, but the Source was too strong, too quick. He pushed back hard, and Cole gave ground. Cole tried to scream, but his mouth was no longer under his control. He felt the Source pushing him back into a corner, and Cole couldn't stop him. The Source would take him over, and would kill the Charmed Ones, would kill Phoebe...  
  
As that thought hit him, Cole dug in. He felt the Source push against him, throw everything he had at him, but Cole held desperately to the thought of Phoebe. Finally, the Source relented, and Cole realized if he ever let up, even for a moment, the Source would overtake him completely. For a brief flicker of thought, Cole considered accepting fate, but then he fought back. If he did that, Phoebe would die. No, he had to fight, he had to be strong and save her.  
  
****  
  
"What the hell was that?" Paige asked in exasperation.  
  
Other-Phoebe looked puzzled, and said, "It was one of his memories, one of the ones we need to see."  
  
"That wasn't a memory," Phoebe hissed. "That was his version of it. He made that up, and foisted it on us."  
  
Other-Phoebe's confusion grew, and she replied, "That is not possible. You cannot lie here. What we saw is what happened, according to him. This Source person invaded Cole, and tried to overwhelm him. He nearly did, and would have against any other man. Cole is quite remarkable."  
  
Other-Phoebe continued for several more moments, but the sisters didn't hear her. They looked at each other, and only one thought was racing through their minds. 'You cannot lie here.' What they saw is what Cole felt. He hadn't lied to them: he had tried to fight the Source, and had kept the Source at bay for a while. They had misjudged him.  
  
"It doesn't matter," Phoebe whispered to her sisters. "He is still evil, and when this is all over, we will find a way to stop him for good."  
  
"What did you say?" Other-Phoebe asked in puzzlement.  
  
"Nothing important," Piper chimed in, and continued, "I think we need to see the next part if we are to understand how to help him."  
  
Other-Phoebe still looked puzzled, but she nodded and said, "Very well."  
  
****  
  
Cole started to walk away, but something stopped him. He looked back at Phoebe and said, "I'm not giving up on us Phoebe...ever." He then shimmered back to the wasteland, and collapsed. He tried to catch his breath. Damn, shifting to the material took too much out of him. If he was going to return to Phoebe, he had to find another way.  
  
Cole thought about it for a few more moments, and then an idea came to him. It would be dangerous, but Phoebe was worth it. She loved him, and he loved her. No matter what, he would return to her so they would be together.  
  
Cole shimmered to a darker plane, one where only demons could enter. A plane Good did not know, and never would. He immediately kneeled, and said, "I beg an audience."  
  
"We know who you are," a voice echoed in the darkness. "Once, you were our greatest warrior. Now, look at you. You have let love corrupt and change you beyond our capabilities. And you are dead. Leave our sight."  
  
"I demand the right of recovery," Cole said softly.  
  
"HOW DARE YOU!" the voices shouted. "That is reserved for demons who are powerful, not weakling humans."  
  
"I am half-human, and I did more evil in a century than most demons do in millennia!" Cole shouted as he surged to his feet. "I have EARNED this, and I demand my right."  
  
The voices were silent for a moment, and then said in a venomous tone, "Very well. You will accept the trials?"  
  
"Bring on your trials," Cole replied, "I will face anything."  
  
"Understand this," the voices mocked. "None have ever passed. And we will not go easy on you. In fact, I guarantee we will throw everything we have at you. You stand no chance. Do you want to back out?"  
  
"No," Cole said solemnly. Phoebe may have given up hope, but he never would. He would return to her, and she would fall into his arms, and all would be forgiven.  
  
"Very well," the voices commented, and a figure appeared. It was demon, one who stood a menacing seven feet. Cole looked at it without fear. The demon snorted and then said, "Follow me. I am to be your guide."  
  
Cole followed behind the demon, and was taken through a portal. He found himself under a rock outcropping. Beyond the rock was desert. A blistering sun hung in the sky. "What am I to do?" Cole asked in confusion.  
  
The demon gestured, and Cole was naked. "Ten seconds after I leave, this outcropping will vanish. Exactly five miles in that direction is the end of this desert," the demon pointed as he spoke, "As soon as you touch the light, you will burst into flames. If you make it, I will be waiting for you."  
  
"How do I know you aren't lying?" Cole asked.  
  
"You don't, but I'm not. It would serve no point, because it doesn't matter. You will not make it. No one ever has," the demon replied, and shimmered out.  
  
Cole looked towards the direction the demon had pointed, and sighed. He had to trust the demon, because this was the only way for him to get back to Phoebe. Cole took a deep breath, and darted out into the sun.  
  
As soon as he was out of the rock cropping, intense physical pain beyond any Cole had known hit him. It was like being vanquished, only it never ended. Cole knew he screamed, but he kept going. He ran as long and as far as he could, but the pain only intensified. Every step caused him to scream anew, and yet to stay still was no better.  
  
Cole barely made it ten minutes before he collapsed from the pain. He knew he would never get to the end, and part of him said he should just give up. As soon as he stopped trying, the pain would end, for Cole would have failed. It would be so easy, so simple to just...  
  
A vision of Phoebe flashed through Cole's mind, and his eyes widened. Beyond the pain he felt, in the depths of his soul, Cole realized he had to get back. Phoebe was waiting for him and they would be together forever. He would go through any amount of torment to return to her, as she would for him. He could never give up.  
  
Cole tried to get up, but he hadn't the strength. He was laid out on his stomach, and the pain was getting worse, if that was possible. So, Cole did the only thing he could. He crawled.  
  
****  
  
With a retching sound, Paige threw up. Piper and Phoebe both touched their faces and realized they were weeping, and had been weeping for the whole experience. They said nothing for a few moments, waiting, hoping the pain would fade. When it did, Phoebe finally managed to gasp through the tears, "My God..."  
  
"He, he was in such pain..." Paige began, and then couldn't control herself. She started to throw up again, and Piper and Phoebe comforted her. The looked over at Other-Phoebe, who was deathly pale.  
  
"What is it?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"The demon did lie to Cole," Other-Phoebe replied.  
  
"About what?" Piper asked as she tried to keep her stomach.  
  
"The distance," Other-Phoebe commented. "It wasn't five miles, it was  
fifty."  
  
No one spoke several moments, as they tried to absorb that. Finally, Phoebe broke the spell. "How long?" Phoebe asked slowly. There was no need to be more specific.  
  
Other-Phoebe looked at the Charmed Ones, and then said, "Four days. It took Cole four days of constant and unrelenting torment to reach the end, torment that got worse with every second."  
  
"Ho...how did he...how did he survive?" Phoebe asked as she fought back the sadness.  
  
Other-Phoebe looked over at her for a few seconds, and then a look of pity came over her face. "You," she said softly. "Through it all, through the entire time, Cole never once faltered, never once stopped. You held him together, and were his entire purpose. He had complete faith in your love of him, and that kept him going."  
  
Phoebe dropped to her knees as the guilt came over her. "Cole went through all that to be with me, and I...I rejected him."  
  
Something flashed in Other-Phoebe's eyes, and Piper caught it. "What?"  
  
Other-Phoebe was silent again, and then commented, "That was only the first trial."  
  
"Show me," Phoebe said solemnly.  
  
"PHOEBE!" Piper said in shock.  
  
"I have to know," Phoebe said sharply, "I have to know what he went through so I can help him, to save the world." She looked back at Other- Phoebe, who met her stare, and then nodded once.  
  
****  
  
Cole had forgotten how long he had been here, and had forgotten how long he had been crawling. He only knew three things...the pain, the torment, and Phoebe. Every second Cole wanted to just stop, to just give up, but Phoebe was always there, always driving him on.  
  
As Cole reached out with his right hand to pull himself forward, his fingers grabbed something solid. Biting back a scream, Cole forced himself to look up. The demon was looking at him with an expression of extreme disbelief. Cole's hand had grabbed the demons' ankle. Cole managed to smile, and said, "I passed. Now get me out of here."  
  
The demon said nothing, but they both shimmered. Cole stopped burning, and he wept as the pain ebbed. Cole knew he should get up, but he just wanted to savor the lack of pain for a moment longer. Just one more moment...  
  
Cole kept expecting the demon to haul him to his feet, but the demon did nothing. Cole savored that lack of pain, and never wanted it to end. He could have stayed here...  
  
'Phoebe...'  
  
Cole came back to himself. He couldn't stay here, he had to get up. Cole slowly put his hands under him. They shook from the effort, and fresh pain coursed over raw wounds. Cole grimaced, but managed to hold long enough to get a foot under his body. Slowly, as each movement cost him greatly, Cole stood up. He staggered slightly, and then looked at the demon with a defiant glare. "Is that all you've got?" Cole managed to gasp and watched as a look of respect crept on the demon's features.  
  
The demon snorted, and the look faded, "Congratulations, you have just passed the first trial...the easy trial. The next one won't be so short, and you will never pass it. Follow me."  
  
Again, Cole staggered after the demon, trying desperately to marshal his strength for whatever came next. The demon led him to a door, and then said, "You may use the powers you gained in the wasteland for the next trial, not that it will help you. Your only goal is to survive." The demon pushed Cole at the door, and the door dissolved. Cole stumbled through, and then the door was gone.  
  
Cole looked around, and surveyed his surrounding. He was in an ancient arena of some sort...one with empty stands a vast central area. Why was he here? Only instinct saved Cole. He shimmered to the right, just as something slammed down where he was. When Cole came back, he looked back, and could barely restrain his fear.  
  
Looking back at Cole was a dragon. Long ago, dragons had been the most feared beings in the universe. They were strong, intelligent, and fast, and they ate demons for sport. They could tear a demon apart and leave him alive for centuries in its stomach but too destroyed to move as he was slowly digested. However, dragons were supposed to be extinct, which meant this one couldn't be here...  
  
The dragon opened its mouth, and flames shot out of its mouth. Cole shimmered and dove, and barely avoided the flames. When Cole reappeared, he shot an energy ball at the dragon, but it didn't even singe the scales. The dragon surged forward, and its left fore claw slammed into Cole faster than he could move. Cole felt the talons pierce his chest, and felt himself thrown against the wall. He felt bone shatter, and he wondered what part of him survived. Spots danced for several moments, and when they cleared, Cole saw the dragon right in front of him.  
  
Cole tried to shimmer, but the pain was too great. He tried to move, and discovered his legs had been shattered, and he couldn't feel anything from the waist down. The dragon looked at him for a moment, and then began to slowly reach out to pick him up with its mouth.  
  
Cole managed to pull himself partly up using his arm strength, but his legs hung limply down. The dragon approached unheeded, and Cole didn't stand a chance of stopping him. Cole would be in the dragons stomach for centuries, slowly dissolving in a pool of acid.  
  
"Not necessarily," the voices whispered in Cole's ear. "If you give up, we will save you. You must choose quickly, for not even we can save you from a dragon's belly. Simply say you give up, and we will end this. You have already gotten farther than the others, and you will be honored by us forever. Don't let it end like this. Do you really want to die like this?"  
  
No, he didn't Cole thought. He felt all his pain and weariness pressing against him, and he said slowly, "Alright, I will..."  
  
'Phoebe...'  
  
Again, a memory of Phoebe surfaced, and Cole remembered what he was fighting for. Phoebe was waiting for him and they would be together forever. All he had to do was get through this, and his pain would end.  
  
Summoning all the strength and anger he had, Cole shouted, "...NEVER GIVE UP!" and pushed himself forward. Cole did not so much launch himself forward and fall forward badly, but it was enough. The dragon's head darted forward, and closed over Cole.  
  
When Cole could see again, he found himself in the original chamber. The demon was no where to be seen, and Cole still couldn't move his legs. "What is going on?" Cole asked.  
  
"You have passed our two trials, and we will grant your request," the voice replied. "There is just one more matter to attend to..." The darkness seemed to coalesce, and a figure approached Cole. Cole couldn't get up to a sitting position, so he just looked. The figure became more distinct, until Cole recognized him...THE SOURCE.  
  
"What the hell is this?" Cole demanded weakly.  
  
"Well, you both died, so we have a problem. We have decided you will both come back, and the Source and you will share a body again," the voices murmured. "We thought you'd be pleased. After all, you will be the Source again."  
  
"No, no..." Cole began. The Source smiled.  
  
"Don't worry, Cole. I'll take good care of everyone once we get back," the Source said with a smirk. The Source reached forward and put his hands on Cole's head. Cole felt the Source entering his body, and felt tears spring to his eyes. He wasn't strong enough to fight the Source, and so his worst fear would come to pass. The Source would return to Earth, and Cole knew this time Cole would be completely suppressed. Cole would be evil again. 'So be it,' Cole thought. 'I have no strength left, let it end...'  
  
'Phoebe...'  
  
If Cole gave up, he would never be with Phoebe. Worst of all, the Source would kill Phoebe and her sisters simply for revenge. NO, Phoebe was waiting for him, and Cole would return to her. Cole reached deep within, and somehow found the strength to fight. Cole pushed back with everything he had. His strength was fueled by pain, rage...and love. The Source fought back too, and Cole felt his mind being pummeled inside as two personalities fought for control. For what seemed like eons, the two were deadlocked, and then Cole slowly pushed the Source back. 'Not this time, never again,' Cole thought angrily. 'I will NEVER BE evil again. I can be good, Phoebe believes I will be good, and I will not let you use me again.'  
  
The Source tried to resist, but Cole was too strong. Slowly and methodically, Cole pushed the Source into a corner of his mind. He then pushed with everything he had, and the Source ceased to be.  
  
Cole let his head fall back, and felt his mind began to unravel. He had nothing left. No physical, mental, or emotional strength left. A fly could have defeated him. He heard footsteps, and tried to focus, but it was beyond him. He saw a boot by his face, and tried to groan. Oh, no. There was another trial. Cole knew he would fail, there was simply no way. The trials were just too hard.  
  
Hands touched Cole, and gently pulled him to a sitting position. Cole felt strength leave those hands and flow into him. His mind started to come back together, and Cole could focus again. He found his guide in front of him, looking at him with an expression of open admiration and awe.  
  
"Congratulations, you have passed the trials," the demon said solemnly. "You have earned a reward. It was an honor to be your guide."  
  
Cole looked up at the darkness, and asked, "No more trials, I get what I came here for."  
  
"No more trials by us," the voices replied. "Name your reward; you have proven your worth."  
  
"Give me back my body so I can return to Phoebe," Cole said without hesitation.  
  
The voices fell silent for several minutes, and then said slowly, "We shall grant your request, and give you a new body. Be warned, not even we can give you your old body. This one will be different. It will look the same, but it will be stronger, and different. Can you live with that?"  
  
"Do I have a choice?" Cole asked.  
  
"Not if you want your request honored," the voices replied.  
  
"Will I keep all my Wasteland powers?" Cole remarked.  
  
"Yes, and they will grow as if they had been yours from birth," the voices replied.  
  
'Phoebe...'  
  
"Do it," Cole said firmly.  
  
"Very well," the voices said. Cole felt power begin to gather around him, more power than he had ever imagined, when the voices said, "You are a rare and amazing man, Cole Turner. You will always be welcome in the Halls of Evil." The power then washed over him, and Cole felt his body changing. He felt his wounds healing, and more strength than he had ever felt flowed through them. He felt that he could jump to the moon if he wanted to, without effort. Within moments, it was done, and Cole felt...solid. He bowed to the voices, and then shimmered out.  
  
****  
  
"So, that's how Cole did it," Paige finally said after the memories faded.  
  
"I just don't believe it," Piper whispered, "All that pain, all that torment, simply to get back here."  
  
"He loves your sister very much," Other-Phoebe said solemnly. Piper expected a vehement retort to escape from her sister at that remark. When nothing came, Piper looked over at Phoebe. She was looking off in the distance with a pensive expression on her face.  
  
"Are you alright Pheebs?" Piper asked softly as Paige approached.  
  
"All this time, and I had no idea," Phoebe whispered. "If I had known, would it have changed anything? He went through all that for me, and I ran. I thought he was evil, when he survived so much agony to be with me. What have I done?" After a moment, she seemed to recover herself slightly. She looked over at Other-Phoebe, and continued, "Are we ready to do the next set of memories?"  
  
Other-Phoebe hesitated, and then said, "I'm afraid that isn't possible."  
  
"What, what do you mean?" Paige demanded.  
  
"It seems Cole has detected our scanning somehow, and has blocked his memories," Phoebe replied. "Normally, I could push through, but Cole is exceptionally strong. Therefore, we're going to have to do something earlier than I wanted." She looked at each sister for a few moments, as if weighing them.  
  
"We're going to have to enter Cole's mind, and confront him there."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	7. Part 7

Cleansing part 7  
  
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.  
  
"What! I thought we were in Cole's mind!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
"No, we are in a sort of middle ground," Other-Phoebe replied. "Here, I can draw out the memories of the subject without normally him detecting it. If we truly enter his mind, we could run the risk of him detecting it and confronting us there. In those confrontations, especially with how strong he is, we may not survive."  
  
"Well, that's just great," Paige said sarcastically, "we get to help the ultimate evil go sane so he can help us before he stalks Phoebe again."  
  
"I know Paige, but we have no choice," Phoebe said in a resigned tone. "We need him."  
  
"And once this is done, we will vanquish him," Piper interjected. She was about to continue when the sisters heard a snort. They turned in surprise to look at Other-Phoebe.  
  
For the first time, the sisters saw anger cross the face of Other- Phoebe. It wasn't a frown so much as a red spark behind the eyes. "I do not for one moment understand you. You felt and saw the same memories I did, and yet you still consider him evil. Well, let me tell the three of you something. I see a man who has been steadily pushed to the edge, and has survived more in a few years than most beings could handle in a lifetime. If you can't see that, then you obviously aren't the same people he knows."  
  
"How dare you..." Paige began, but then stopped as Piper glared at her.  
  
"We have a past here that you do not understand, even if you have seen his memories," Phoebe said tersely.  
  
Other-Phoebe looked back at them, and then said, "Perhaps you are right. It doesn't change my opinion. Now, let's continue on." Other- Phoebe held out her hands, and the sisters formed a circle. Other-Phoebe's green eyes began to glow, a bright color that seemed to encompass all that is good in the world. The glow spread down her body, until all of her was surrounded by a white nimbus. As the light touched the sisters, each felt peace envelop them, followed by a feeling of movement. Soon, the world began to move away, until all that was left was the glow.  
  
Suddenly, there was something there. It was a wall, an unattainable height that blocked there passage. The sisters felt themselves run into it, and they felt something trying to push through. The wall began to give, and hope welled within the sisters. Then, raw power slammed into them, pushing them back with a speed that left them gasping.  
  
When the sisters could see again, they were back in the misty place. Other-Phoebe had broken the circle, and was panting heavily. As Piper and Paige moved towards her, Other-Phoebe slowly stood up. "That...was unexpected," Other-Phoebe gasped.  
  
"What happened?" Piper asked curiously.  
  
"Cole is hiding something," Phoebe admitted, "and everything he has is trying desperately to keep us from seeing it. If it were anyone else, I could push us all through. But he is too strong."  
  
"Are you saying we can't get in?" Paige questioned. When Other- Phoebe hesitated, Paige continued, "What? Is there a way in?"  
  
"I can get through, but not with all of you. Two of you would have to stay behind," Other-Phoebe said slowly.  
  
"What! You want us to leave one of us at the mercy of Cole's mind, are you out of..." Paige began hotly, but Piper quieted her.  
  
Piper looked at both of her sisters, and then said, "Pheebs, it will have to be you. You are the only one who could get a reaction from him. Can you handle that?"  
  
Phoebe hesitated, and then nodded. "We need him, and if that is the only way to get him, then so be it." She walked over to Other-Phoebe and took both of her hands. "Let's do it."  
  
Other-Phoebe nodded, and then her eyes began to glow again. This time, when they reached the barrier, Phoebe felt the wall begin to give. She felt the raw power rising again, and then a strange thing happened. It seemed to touch them, and then it paused. Suddenly, the wall was gone, and they were unimpeded.  
  
****  
  
When Phoebe could see again, she found herself in a room that looked frightening familiar. She was back in the MANOR! 'How did I get here?' Phoebe wondered as she looked around frantically. The last thing she remembered she and Other-Phoebe had been about enter Cole's mind...  
  
Phoebe felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked behind her, and found nothing there. Suddenly, a voice spoke in her head. 'Relax, this is Cole's mind. Whatever is going on, whatever Cole is protecting, it is here.'  
  
"Where are you?" Phoebe asked.  
  
'I don't know,' the voice confessed. 'Apparently, I have no part to play here, so I cannot be seen. However, that doesn't mean we can't talk.'  
  
Phoebe was about to answer when a new voice interrupted her. "Is everything ready?" To Phoebe's shock, Piper walked into the room. She walked over to her, and raised a brow in question.  
  
"W - What?" Phoebe stammered.  
  
Piper's face became more confused as she remarked, "You know, considering you planned this, it seems kind of strange that you aren't paying more attention. Come on, answer me. Is everything ready?"  
  
"I got the gifts," Paige said as she appeared. Phoebe looked around in utter shock, trying to figure out how her sisters got here. The voice in her mind said, 'These aren't the real Piper and Paige. They are manifestations of Cole's mind. Whatever he is up to, they are going to play a part.'  
  
"Shh...listen," Piper said softly. Everyone quieted down, and Phoebe could hear a car pulling into the driveway. "He's here, hurry, we need to get into position."  
  
Piper pulled Phoebe into the foyer, and Paige followed. When they got there, Phoebe found Leo and Darryl waiting. They both had a smile on their face, and a sneaky look in their eyes. Soon, Phoebe heard someone putting a key in the lock, and the front door opened.  
  
"Guys, I'm back," Cole said as he walked in. Phoebe watched as a puzzled look came over his face. He said, "Guys? Where are you?" As Cole walked into their line of site, everyone else shouted, "SURPRISE!"  
  
When Cole whirled in shock, they began to sing, "Happy Birthday to you..." In a flash, Phoebe remembered this. It was Cole's only birthday celebrated with them, and she had wanted it to be special. She had worked for a long time to set up this celebration, and it had all been worth it, for the look that now was on his face...a look of surprise and unfathomed happiness. Cole walked over to her and pulled her into his embrace. On instinct, Phoebe began to pull away, and Cole's face became puzzled.  
  
"What's wrong, honey?" Cole asked.  
  
A voice in Phoebe's mind spoke, 'Don't worry. This is Cole. He is the only real 'thing' in this fantasy. Give me a moment, and I will dispel it.'  
  
'HURRY,' Phoebe thought back. This embrace was bringing up memories and feelings that should have been dead and gone. Cole's face looked concerned, and she forced a smile on her face. "Nothing's wrong," she replied, and his face looked less anxious.  
  
"Good," Piper intoned, "because it is time to party. So, birthday boy, do you want to open presents first or eat some cake?"  
  
"Who made the cake?" Cole asked.  
  
"I did," Piper replied.  
  
"Then I definitely want cake first, because I know it will be delicious," Cole commented with a smile. That smile faded as everything began to grow blurry. He looked around in confusion as the manor and Phoebe's sisters grew more and more blurry.  
  
"No, no, NO!" Cole shouted, but it was too late. Soon, only Phoebe and Cole were left. The Manor had changed into a barren room, and Other- Phoebe appeared. She smiled, and said, "That took more than I thought it would."  
  
Cole whirled, and an energy ball appeared in his hand, "What do you want?" he demanded. He then looked down at Phoebe, and his eyes widened. "You're still here, which means...Phoebe?"  
  
Phoebe nodded, and said, "Yes, Cole. It's the real me."  
  
Cole backed away in shock, and then whispered, "You came after me?"  
  
Phoebe saw something begin to blossom in his eyes, and she realized it was hope. On reflex, she replied, "Yes, Cole. We need your help."  
  
The light in Cole's eyes died, and he laughed a bitter laugh. "Sorry, can't help you." He then turned and sat heavily in a chair that appeared.  
  
"You don't even know what is going on," Phoebe commented.  
  
Cole smiled an evil smile, and said, "I don't care. I am done being your lapdog. I will tell you what would happen if I said yes. I would vanquish whatever annoying evil you can't deal with, and then you would tell me 'it doesn't change anything' and 'we will vanquish you.' Am I right?" Cole didn't even wait for a response, he just continued on, "So, you'll have to forgive me, but I don't feel like dealing with that right now. I am sorry you wasted your time. Now, leave."  
  
Phoebe was about to respond, when Other-Phoebe stepped forward. "Cole, look at me."  
  
Cole turned to look at this mysterious woman, and asked, "Who the hell are you?" A bright green beam shot from the woman's eyes, and slammed into Cole. Cole slammed against the back of the chair. When the light was done, Cole slumped in his chair.  
  
"What did you do?" Phoebe demanded.  
  
Other-Phoebe ignored her, and instead walked up to Cole. She leaned in and whispered, "Open your eyes." When Cole did, she continued, "There she is, the source of all your pain. She is here, ready to listen. Tell her how you feel, what is going on with you. Let it all go, Cole. Just let it all go."  
  
As Phoebe watched, a look of intense anger came over Cole's face. He shot to his feet, and yelled, "YOU BITCH!" He waved his hand, and Phoebe was slammed and pinned against the wall.  
  
"Cole, what..." Phoebe began, but Cole cut her off.  
  
"Do you have ANY idea what I have SACRIFICED?" Cole was shouting at the top of his lungs, and Phoebe winced at the sheer volume. "I HAVE BEEN THROUGH MORE PAIN AND TORMENT THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE, AND YOU HAVE TRIVIALIZED IT ALL!"  
  
That did it. Phoebe lost her temper. "What YOU have sacrificed. You put ME through more than you could ever believe. I became evil for you. Do you have any idea how repugnant that is to me? You made me the QUEEN OF ALL EVIL! You gave me a son who now hates me. You had me betray my sisters, and all I believed in. So, don't talk to me about sacrifices."  
  
Cole sneered, and said with utter contempt in his voice, "I did not DO that to you, the SOURCE did. I have told you more times than I can count I was being controlled. But you never once believed me, did you? Well, I am sick of it. FEEL WHAT I FELT!"  
  
Suddenly, there was another presence invading Phoebe's mind. She tried to push back, but discovered in horror that she could not stop it. It ran through her like a whirlwind, crushing all resistance. When it was done, Phoebe was a prisoner in her own body.  
  
Cole smiled, and said, "How does it feel, Phoebe? That is what I felt. Now how about I have you kill some people, maybe betray the ones you love. Would you understand then how I felt, when I became evil?"  
  
Phoebe tried to reply, tried to scream, tried to do anything, but her body was not hers to command. In an instant, the presence was gone, and Phoebe was back in control. She looked at Cole in hatred, and said, "You..."  
  
"Don't care anymore, Phoebe," Cole interrupted. "I can never forgive you for what you did to me."  
  
"And what was that Cole, huh? What was it?" Phoebe yelled back.  
  
"You awakened the soul in me, and destroyed me," Cole replied. "You introduced me to all the great things in life. Friendship, Understanding, Family...Love. You gave me all those things, and then you took them back. You ripped them from me as if they were really yours all along. And I have been in torment ever since."  
  
"I didn't 'rip' them from you. You lost them when you betrayed us," Phoebe said angrily.  
  
Cole's look of contempt deepened as he commented, "When did I betray you? When I killed the witch as Belthazor? You know I was under Raynor's control. All I needed was one little bit of faith from you, and Prue would still be alive. Isn't that interesting? You killed Prue."  
  
"HOW DARE YOU!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
"It's true, and you know it," Cole said with a sneer. "You didn't have enough faith in me to let me drink the first power stripping potion. If you had, you would never have gone to the Underworld, and would have been there to face Shax. Instead, you were with me, and Prue paid the price for your lack of faith."  
  
Tears began to form in Phoebe's eyes, and she wondered why Cole would deliberately hurt her like this.  
  
"And shall we talk about my second 'betrayal'," Cole continued. "Which was it? When the Source had me under his control, or when I single- handedly kept the Source from killing you. Of course, I should have just accepted that I was meant to be evil, and let the Source kill you. That would have been so much simpler, and if I had known you could be so shallow as to forget me, I would have."  
  
Phoebe tried to say something, but her throat was closed for some reason. She tried to deny it, but everything Cole said was hitting her like knives.  
  
Cole looked at her for a few moments, and then said, "I have to thank you, for I finally understand. You never loved me. I was a pet to you, something to toy with and watch with amusement. A demon who tried to be good for you, who denied everything he was to be with you. How you must have laughed as I tried desperately to keep myself from doing evil deeds. Did you enjoy it whenever you stepped on my fingers, betrayed me, and made me evil again? Did it give you pleasure to know I would still mourn and love you, even as an evil being? Well, guess what? I'm done mourning. Leave me, and never return."  
  
Cole started to leave, and Phoebe managed to whisper, "Cole, please stop." Cole did stop, but he didn't turn around. She continued, "The Hollow has been released again, and it is cutting a swath of destruction through magic. The demon who took it has destroyed the box, so we have no way to stop it. Only someone who has been possessed by it before is immune. Only you can stop him. Please, will you stop him?"  
  
"Do you have any idea what you are asking of me?" Cole demanded. "Out there, I would experience more pain, more torment, and more agony. Fear, doubt, all of it would come back. No, I would rather stay here."  
  
"But this ISN'T REAL!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
"I DON'T CARE!" Cole shouted as he whirled, and Phoebe was shocked to see tears in his eyes. "Phoebe, even if I hate them, I still have to fill that hole in me. Here, I am accepted for who I am, I have friends, I have...love. You would have me give all that up to go back to the pain? Why, what possible reason would there be for me to do that?"  
  
Phoebe said nothing for a few moments. Inside of herself, she felt the bitterness and hatred around her heart cracking and dissipating. Cole's words had struck her harshly, but they were a resounding truth that had penetrated the wall she had built to protect herself, to insure she would never be hurt again or more precisely, to insure she would never love again. As the wall continued to crumble, Phoebe finally saw Cole for what he was. Standing in front of her was not the ultimate evil. In front of her was a man who had sacrificed everything, including his own existence, for the greater good, and for love - for HER. A man that was willing to suffer such extremes could not be evil. As the wall of bitterness completely disintegrated, she stammered, "Because...because..."  
  
"Because what, Phoebe?" Cole snapped.  
  
Phoebe forced herself to look into Cole's hard blue eyes, and said, "Because I love you, Cole."  
  
Cole stared at her in shock. "What..." he started, and then he looked into her eyes. What he saw there nearly caused him to faint. He saw the old light in Phoebe's eyes, the light he would see there whenever they were together, the light that had been there since she had discovered what he really was. He saw love and compassion, not the bitterness and hatred he had been expecting. He choked out, "But...you said..."  
  
"I was wrong, Cole," Phoebe said quietly. "I blinded myself to everything, tried to convince myself I didn't love you, and in doing that I nearly destroyed you in the process. You were right. What I did to you was the worst kind of evil imaginable, and I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself for that. I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't forgive me, either." Phoebe lowered her eyes in shame. "I do love you, Cole. I love you for who you are and all that you did to save us. I'm so sorry, baby."  
  
In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Cole smiled slightly. Phoebe would NEVER have called him by his favorite pet name if she didn't love him anymore. Cole walked forward and embraced her. This time, Phoebe didn't pull away, but leaned into him instead. "We'll work through this, Phoebe," said Cole. "It will take time, but eventually we can put this behind us."  
  
"Together," she added, her voice muffled by his chest.  
  
"But first, I think we have a demon to vanquish," Cole continued.  
  
Phoebe pulled back slightly and said, "Cole, you don't have to..."  
  
"Yes, I do, Phoebe," Cole said firmly. "If there was one thing you taught me about being good, it's that the greater good comes first, always." Cole sighed. "Don't ask me to be a coward for you. You know I'm not one to sit on the sidelines."  
  
"You can truly see him now, can't you?" said Other-Phoebe. Phoebe flinched slightly, as she had forgotten Other-Phoebe was even there.  
  
"Yes," Phoebe replied, looking up at Cole's face, which was no longer haunted by pain and rage, but was lit up with love. His eyes shined. She was interrupted and taken from her musings by Other-Phoebe, who said, "Let's go." The barren room then faded, and they were on their way back.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	8. Part 8

Cleansing part 8  
  
This story takes place after the episode "Sam I am". I do not own any of the characters of charmed, I just write about them.  
  
Phoebe opened her eyes with a gasp, and found herself looking into Piper, Paige, and Leo's worried faces.  
  
"Are you okay?" Piper asked anxiously.  
  
"How long..." Phoebe whispered.  
  
"Two days," Other-Phoebe replied hoarsely. She was already staggering over to a water bin nearby. Phoebe joined her, and they both drank deeply.  
  
"We came out about eight hours ago, and did the same thing," Paige commented. "So, did it work?"  
  
Other-Phoebe was about to comment when a male voice said softly, "Yes, it did."  
  
The others whirled to see Cole sitting on the same chair as usual. Slowly, ponderously, he stood up, and Phoebe could see exhaustion in his eyes as he felt pain again. He took a few steps down, and then a vast grumbling could be heard. Cole winced, and asked, "Does anyone have anything to eat?"  
  
Other-Phoebe looked at Cole in utter disbelief before stammering, "It normally takes even the strongest beings a day to get back to their bodies. I've never heard of anyone getting back this quickly."  
  
"It wasn't hard, I just followed your path back, and took a different fork at the end," Cole whispered. He then repeated, "Is there ANYTHING to eat? I am incredibly hungry."  
  
"There are these," Paige said coldly as she held up the sugar cookies and the weinershnitzels that Banfiz had given her.  
  
"I don't know if anyone should eat those..." Piper began, but Cole dove forward and yanked the food out of Paige's hands with a quickness that left her gasping. He nibbled slightly, and then began to devour the food rapidly. Phoebe giggled at this, but nobody else noticed.  
  
"Disgusting," Paige said venomously. She turned to Piper and said in contempt, "Can you believe him? He is eating like a..." she trailed off as she watched Piper's face go pale. Paige turned back towards Cole, and gasped.  
  
Cole was glowing, and with each bite, the glow was intensifying. The group watched in shock as the glow magnified, until only a vague form could be seen. Finally, the glowing stopped, and the sisters stared in surprise.  
  
Cole looked...normal. His beard was gone, and his tattered clothes had been replaced by a black sweatshirt and black pants. But it was more than that. There was alertness to his features and to his stance that the sisters could not remember seeing in a very long time. In fact, Phoebe was getting a strong feeling of the old Cole, the Cole she had fallen in love with when he was still Belthazor. Cole caught her look, and he smiled, and said, "That was delicious. I feel absolutely fantastic. Now, shall we get back? I believe there is a demon back home that you need me to stop."  
  
"Very well, we'll get Leo to..." Piper began, but Cole cut her off.  
  
"Why waste the time? I can get us there much faster that he can," Cole murmured.  
  
Piper and Paige gulped. Phoebe hesitated a moment, as she wanted to wait to let her sisters know about what had changed until after Damon had been vanquished, and then she said, "Very well, we'll let you get us back, Cole."  
  
Other-Phoebe looked at the group sadly, and then bowed low, "Great One, it was an honor healing you. Remember, you will always be welcome here."  
  
Cole looked at Other-Phoebe, and he chuckled. "I thank you for your hospitality, but we need to go. Besides, something tells me I might just find my place again in my world." Piper and Paige looked at Cole with contempt, but Phoebe smiled to herself at Cole's implication. Cole held his hands out, the sisters and Leo took them. A second later, they were gone.  
  
****  
  
Damon permitted himself a satisfied smile as he leaned lazily back. He had won. There was no magic left on this plane. Only Heaven still held out, but soon it too would fall, and then the Cleansing was complete. Damon chuckled as he realized how very easy this had all been. 'Oh, well,' Damon thought, 'I guess there was no challenge worthy of me out there.'  
  
Suddenly, Damon sat straight up and looked around. What was that! Probably just a flicker of one of his powers Damon thought but inwardly he knew. He felt the power approaching from far away, and he knew exactly who it belonged to. Cole was returning, and he needed to prepare.  
  
"Nisan!" Damon yelled. Nisan was there in an instant, bowing deeply. "Summon all of my forces here. I have to prepare for a battle." Nisan was gone, shimmering to accomplish his order. Damon grinned again, and said, "Come on, Cole. It is time to find out what you can really do."  
  
****  
  
The Elders glared at Cole, who did his best to look as unthreatening as possible. However, the power the Elders could feel emanating from him dispelled any such thought. His only consolation was that Phoebe was looking at him with a warm smile that no one else seemed to notice. They said nothing for a few moments, before one of them hissed, "As pleased as we are that you brought back this DEMON to help us, we question the decision to bring him up here." As he said the last part, the Elder glared at Leo.  
  
Piper leaped to her husband's defense, saying, "Leo did not BRING him here. Cole brought us here himself."  
  
Stunned silence greeted that phrase, which the sisters, even Phoebe, couldn't figure out until it hit them too. Phoebe turned to Cole slowly, and whispered, "Cole, how long have you been able to enter Heaven?"  
  
Cole smiled slightly, and replied, "Since I got back from the Wasteland. Apparently, my range has increased greatly since my demise. Look, we can debate this forever, but there is a demon wreaking havoc out there, so can we hurry this up? Do you have a plan, or are you going to just sit back and pray, like normal?"  
  
Most of the Elders went red from rage, and the Lead Elder said, "We have a plan. Cole, we are bringing out our greatest weapon, one that hasn't been used once, by either side. Not even before did we consider its use." The Elders turned towards the door, and Banfiz walked in. In his hands, he carried a single volume its age apparent by the way he gingerly held it.  
  
He saw the girls and smiled, and said, "Did you like my gift of power?" He then turned serious and solemnly handed over a volume. As the sisters looked at it, they saw it was a thin leather bound volume with one word on it...Entropy.  
  
"Are you insane?" Cole demanded. "What are you thinking?"  
  
"If we don't do this, the world will end anyway!" one of the Elders shouted back.  
  
"I don't understand, what is the big deal?" Phoebe asked.  
  
The Council glared at Cole, and then said, "You tell them."  
  
Cole sighed, and then said, "This book opens a portal to the realm of Entropy. Entropy is the ultimate destructive power, and nothing from this realm can survive contact with it for long."  
  
"I thought entropy was a natural process," remarked Phoebe. Piper and Paige turned to her with surprise. They hadn't thought Phoebe would willingly engage in conversation with Cole if she didn't have to.  
  
Cole caught their looks, and smiled slightly as he continued, "It is, but in this other realm, the change from order to disorder is about a billion times faster than here."  
  
"Why haven't we ever used it before?" Piper asked. "I mean, we could have used such a weapon against." she trailed off and looked over at Cole.  
  
Cole glared right back, and said, "Because if you screw it up and a single molecule of Entropic energy escapes, the world will end. All life will be erased instantly in a vast explosion."  
  
"Oh..." Piper said softly.  
  
"Look, we realize we have no choice, Cole. We will explain what needs to be done to the Charmed Ones. Why don't you leave?" an Elder said with a sneer.  
  
Cole sighed softly, and said, "Fine." Working with the Elders was the one part of this arrangement Cole had never liked, as they had never fully accepted him, even after he became human. As he was walking out, he remarked, "If this is how you treat your allies, I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies." He shimmered out.  
  
"So, what do you need to tell us?" Phoebe asked.  
  
The Elders said, "The spell itself is simple in itself, but there is something else..."  
  
"What?" Piper asked.  
  
"After the portal is open and the Hollow has gone through, Cole will be severely weakened. We feel that this may be our best time to end the threat from him forever. Therefore, we want you to..." the lead Elder began.  
  
"You want us to shove him in afterwards?" Phoebe asked softly. When they nodded, Phoebe hesitated. Before, when she still had her walls up, she wouldn't have hesitated at saying yes, but now that she loved him again, she couldn't answer truthfully.  
  
Fortunately, Piper wasn't surprised at Phoebe's inner turmoil. Despite her sister's statements about being over Cole, Piper knew that her emotions were still warring with each other. However, she believed that in the end, Phoebe would side with them against Cole. Piper answered, "We'll do it. Finally, we'll be able to kill him, once and for all."  
  
****  
  
"Come on, Coleridge, catch me if you can!" Prue taunted. With a playful yell, Coleridge ran after Prue, who kept just out of his reach. They kept this game up for several moments, when Coleridge suddenly stopped. He looked back, as if not daring to believe what he felt. Prue walked back, concerned, and asked, "Little one, are you okay? What's wrong?"  
  
Coleridge let out a happy yell, and started to run as fast as he could. Prue cursed, and ran after him. They ran for about two minutes, when Prue finally saw what Coleridge was running towards. She skidded to a stop, and stared in disbelief.  
  
Coleridge did not slow at all. With a shriek of, "DADDY," Coleridge was flying through the air to land in Cole's open arms. Cole twirled his son around, and laughed a little. "It is nice to finally meet you, son," Cole said softly. "I have wanted to see you for so long, but you understood why, didn't you?"  
  
Coleridge nodded slightly as Prue appeared. "Cole," she said coldly, and that one word carried a volume of meaning.  
  
Cole sighed, and said in a very tired voice, "Prue, can I have at least ONE Halliwell sister who doesn't hate me for being alive other than..." Cole cut himself off as he saw Prue's eyes widen in surprise.  
  
"I don't believe it," Prue said. "She'd never..."  
  
"Love me again?" Cole finished. "Well, she does. In fact, she never really stopped. She just kept telling herself that she didn't, and for a while, she believed her own lies. But now she knows the truth about what happened to me, what I did to save her and Piper and Paige. Phoebe admitted she still loves me, and, more importantly, she trusts me." Prue was about to say something else, but Cole raised a hand to stop her. "I don't want to argue with you, Prue. It has been a long, long day, and I just want to see my son." Cole looked down at his son, and something seemed to pass between them. Coleridge got a sad look on his eyes, and then he nodded once. Cole smiled, and said, "Alright, you can take him back now; there is something I have to go do now." Cole shimmered out.  
  
Prue walked over to Coleridge, who was still staring at the spot his father had once stood. He then turned and walked away, but not before Prue heard him whisper one phrase. "I won't let that happen."  
  
****  
  
"Are we ready to go?" Cole asked as he appeared. The sisters jumped, and then nodded.  
  
"We have everything together for us to bring it forth, and they have taught us what to say. All you have to do is get him through it once it is open," Phoebe said in a subdued voice.  
  
"Fine, then let's do it." Cole grabbed each of their hands.  
  
"Cole, wait..." Phoebe began.  
  
"Save it for later," Cole said sharply, but Phoebe read something strange in his eyes. She wondered if Cole had somehow found out about the Elders' plan for him. But she barely had a moment to ponder this before they shimmered out.  
  
The Lead Elder smiled grimly, and remarked, "Today our two worst problems disappear."  
  
Kevin, the youngest Elder, looked steadily at his fellow Elders, and then began to walk away.  
  
"Where are you going?" the Lead Elder asked.  
  
"I will be honest, for that is what I will always be," Kevin replied gravely. "I look around the Council, and I consider what we are doing, and I have to wonder, when this is over, are we going to be any different from the evil we are fighting?"  
  
****  
  
When the sisters and Cole appeared, they found Damon standing over a large pile of ash. He smiled, and said, "I've been waiting for you, Cole. I took the liberty of absorbing all of the powers of the Underworld in preparation of our conflict."  
  
"Good, that makes things interesting," Cole said with a smile. Both he and Damon stared at each other for a moment, and then they both threw energy balls. They came into contact halfway between them, and a vast concussion of forces erupted backwards. Cole stepped in front of the sisters, and the blast went around him. When the smoke cleared, both Damon and Cole were unhurt. "Say the spell," Cole whispered, and then he gestured. Lightning shot from his hand to slam into Damon, pushing him backwards.  
  
The sisters began to chant in an ancient language, a language long forgotten in the world. As they chanted, Cole and Damon traded blows. Vast explosions of light and sound cascaded overhead, and the force of the blows left great rents in the ground and walls. Soon, Cole and Damon were face to face, hands locked in mortal combat as each tried to erase the other.  
  
The chanting increased in intensity as the sisters neared the end of the spell, and soon a formless void appeared. It seemed to pull in all the light around it, to be erased from all time.  
  
"The portal is open, Cole. Use it!" Phoebe shouted.  
  
Cole dove forward and pulled Damon forward by his shirt. Damon smiled weakly. "I guess we know you are still stronger, Cole. But, join me. You can have everything you ever wanted. All you have to do is help me."  
  
Cole smiled back, and said, "I would join you, but what I want, Evil can't give me." He then pushed Damon back, and Damon fell into the void with a scream.  
  
Cole turned to the sisters with a smile, and said, "It is done." As he said it, Phoebe again noticed an odd quality to his eyes, and she knew for sure that Cole knew the Elders' plan.  
  
"Not quite," Piper commented. As Cole raised his eyebrows up in question, Piper raised her hands to gesture. However, before she could finish, Phoebe grabbed her wrists and stopped her. "Phoebe, what the HELL are you doing?" Piper shouted.  
  
"We can't do this," Phoebe said softly.  
  
"What are you talking about? This is our one chance to get rid of him once and for all," said Paige.  
  
As Piper and Paige watched, horror spread over their faces as Phoebe backed away from them and stood next to Cole. "I don't want to be rid of him," she said, taking his hand. "I love him."  
  
"WHAT!?" Piper exploded. "After everything he did to you, to US, you still choose him over your sisters?"  
  
"No, Piper, I'm not choosing him over you," said Phoebe, shaking her head. "This is different. Cole wasn't in control before. The Source was. And before you say anything, yes, there is a difference. Do you realize that if Cole had given in completely, we all would have been dead long before I turned evil?"  
  
Piper weighed her sister's words carefully. Although her resolve was shaken, she continued, "But Phoebe, he is still a demon, and an invincible one at that."  
  
"Piper, you and I both know that being a demon and being evil don't necessarily go hand in hand. They're just more susceptible to being swayed that way," said Phoebe. "Besides which, what really matters is Cole's heart, and that has always been human. Cole may have demonic powers, but he is human on the inside. He is good, you guys. I've seen it." Phoebe paused for breath. "We can't do this."  
  
Piper and Paige looked at each other for a moment. Was having Cole back in their lives worth the risk? Looking at the happiness and laughter in Phoebe's eyes, they resigned themselves to agree. Phoebe had never been as happy when Cole was around, even when he was Belthazor, and it would kill her to lose him again. They nodded, and Piper said, "Let's close the vortex." Phoebe walked back over to them and embraced her sisters for a moment. The Charmed Ones said a few words, and the portal closed.  
  
"It's over," Paige said, letting out a breath of exhaustion.  
  
"We'll need to check in with the Elders," Piper commented.  
  
Phoebe nodded. Turning to Cole, she said, "Meet me back at the Manor?"  
  
"Sure," he replied. He leaned down for a moment as Phoebe moved closer to him. Their lips brushed lightly, but both felt a familiar electricity flow through them. "Don't keep me waiting too long."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it," Phoebe said as she orbed out with Paige and Piper.  
  
****  
  
Coleridge sat with Prue, anger welling up in him. He couldn't believe it. After everything they'd been through, the Charmed Ones were still going to kill him. Well, he would show them that when he made a promise, he followed through on it.  
  
However, as he saw the sisters approaching, he felt something out of place. For some reason, he could still feel Cole's essence, but that didn't make any sense.  
  
Unless...  
  
"I take it you guys won?" Prue said as her sisters approached.  
  
"Yup," said Phoebe happily. "Damon is history."  
  
Prue didn't say anything for a moment, as she thought either Piper or Paige might interject with what Phoebe had not said. However, when neither one did, Prue couldn't help but ask, "What about Cole?"  
  
Piper hesitated, but then said, "Let's just say Cole is exactly where he should be."  
  
Prue was about to comment, but seeing the happy look on Phoebe's face changed her mind. Who was she to question Phoebe's decisions? Phoebe had been through more in the year since she had died than most people had gone through in a lifetime, and so had Cole, for that matter. Prue resigned herself to accept their decision, and smiled approvingly.  
  
Meanwhile, Coleridge had stood up and was walking over to Phoebe. He swallowed nervously. As Phoebe saw him approach, she knelt down and pulled him to her. Coleridge knew then that his mother loved him, and more importantly, loved Cole, too. Phoebe stood up, tears in her eyes. "Can we take him back with us?" she asked.  
  
"I don't think it will be a problem," said Prue. "Actually, the Elders were hoping that if the two of you ever accepted each other some day, you could raise him down there."  
  
Phoebe nodded, and then her expression became serious. "Prue, I'm so..." she started.  
  
"Don't," Prue interrupted. "The recent events have given me some time to re-evaluate everything. What happened to me wasn't your fault, Phoebe, or Cole's. It was fate." Phoebe raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You were supposed to be down there saving Cole. His soul was on the line, and you saved him. You saved him from eternal damnation, and that was far more important than my life." Prue smiled and embraced Phoebe. "Take good care of your son, ok?"  
  
"I will," Phoebe said.  
  
****  
  
"Took you long enough," said Cole as they orbed in.  
  
"Daddy!" yelled Coleridge as he jumped into his father's arms.  
  
"What are you doing down here?" Cole asked. He had definitely not been expecting to see his son.  
  
"The Elders decided to let ME keep him," Phoebe replied with a wink.  
  
"I see," said Cole, grinning slyly.  
  
"Wait, do we have to worry about the Elders finding out you're still alive?" Piper asked.  
  
"Not anymore," said Cole. "I didn't even think of using it before, but I have enough power to selectively cloak my presence, so as far as the Elders are concerned, I don't exist."  
  
"Well, that's one less thing we have to worry about," said Paige. At that moment Coleridge yawned. "How about I take the little guy and put him to sleep?"  
  
"That's very sweet, Paige, thank you," said Phoebe.  
  
"I think I'm going to head up, too," said Piper. "I think you two more than deserve some alone time." She turned and followed Paige up the stairs.  
  
Cole and Phoebe grinned at each other. "Finally alone," sighed Phoebe as she moved into Cole's arms. Phoebe reached up and wrapped her arms around Cole's neck as Cole's hands explored her lower back.  
  
"I love you," Cole murmured as Phoebe took possession of his lips with hers. Phoebe parted her mouth and moaned when Cole's tongue wrapped around hers. Phoebe's head was spinning with the intensity. She hadn't felt this good in a long time, and she certainly wasn't about to let it slip away.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cole asked breathlessly as they pulled apart.  
  
Phoebe studied him for a moment and licked her lips. "Oh, hell yes," she said, jumping into his arms. "I missed you so much." She wrapped her legs around his waist and stuck her tongue down his throat. Cole decided this was too much to contain himself. He took the easy way out, and quickly shimmered them up to her bedroom...without their clothes.  
  
And as they materialized, an indignant shriek of "Cole!" could be heard from Phoebe. However, it would not be the last time that night that she screamed his name.  
  
THE END 


End file.
